Lake Turkana
17.11.2025
Lake Turkana
Context
A new Nature Scientific Reports study links a 6,000-year decline in Lake Turkana’s water levels to increased seismic activity in the East African Rift.
About Lake Turkana
What It Is
The world’s largest permanent desert lake and the fourth-largest within the Great Rift Valley, known for its jade-green waters and tectonic activity.
Location
Situated mainly in northern Kenya, extending slightly into Ethiopia, within the eastern branch of the East African Rift System.
Geological Features
- Formed by tectonic rifting with volcanic outcrops along eastern and southern margins.
- Approx. 248 km long, 16–32 km wide, and ~73 m deep.
- A closed-basin brackish lake fed chiefly by the Omo River.
- Experiences strong water-level variations from climate shifts.
- Contains three volcanic islands—North, Central, and South Islands.
- Known for sudden, intense desert-basin storms.
Significance
Offers major insights into rifting, continental breakup, faulting, and magma dynamics.
Supports crocodiles, hippos, Nile perch, tilapia, and rich birdlife.
Koobi Fora and nearby sites have yielded 200+ early hominin fossils, vital to human-origins research.
Recent Findings: Water-Level Decline & Earthquakes
- Water levels dropped 100–150 m over 6,000 years.
- Lower water pressure accelerated fault slip and seismic activity in the rift.
- Decline also increased magma mobility beneath nearby volcanoes.
- Shows how climate-driven hydrological change influences tectonics across long timescales.
Conclusion
Lake Turkana illustrates the powerful link between climate, surface hydrology, and tectonic activity, emphasizing how long-term water-level shifts can shape faulting and volcanic processes in the East African Rift.