GEOLOGY & PLANETARY SCIENCE A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z                    HOME ABOUT CATEGORIES SITE MAP COPYRIGHT ADVERTISE CONTACT entire Web this site rift zone Aerial view of the northeast rift zone of Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawai'i. Dark lava flows spread away from the rift zone. Credit: J. P. Lockwood / U.S. Geological Survey An elongate system of crustal fractures associated with an area that has undergone extension (ground has spread apart). On the great shield volcanoes in Hawai'i, a rift zone consists of many different features associated with the rise and eruption of magma from narrow dikes, including eruptive fissures, cinder and spatter cones, spatter ramparts, pit craters, lava flows, ground cracks, and normal faults. Related category    • GEOLOGY AND PLANETARY SCIENCE Source: U.S. Geological Survey Also on this site: Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living Encyclopedia of History BACK TO TOP