Gravity Survey of Lakes Albert, George and Edward, East Africa (Uganda and Zaire)

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In areas of continental rifting, the flanks of the actively extending areas are commonly topographically elevated. Flexural rebound of the lithosphere in response to tectonic unloading during extension has been proposed to be the dominant process by which rift flank topography is generated, although other explanations are possible. This project will attempt to rigorously test this hypothesis by using gravity data coverage of several large lake systems in the East Africa rift. Gravity data on land around the lakes is adequate to model the profiles, but data from the lakes are sparse, yet the lakes mark the greatest depressions of the system. In cooperation with the Ugandan Department of Geological Survey and Mines and the Zairian University of Lubumbashi, gravity surveys of Lakes Albert, George and Edward will be performed and resulting data used in detailed three-dimensional models of this area. Results are expected to determine the role of tectonic unloading in rift-flank topography development.