Active seafloor spreading within the Gulf of Aden comes ashore in the Republic of Djibouti, with the result that many of the manifestations of seafloor spreading are accessible to direct and detailed analysis. The investigators, together with French colleagues, will conduct a Global Positioning System geodetic measurement across the Ghoubbet.Asal Rift. Six to eight satellite receivers will be used to re.occupy sites where the French have made measurements over the past 50 years, and to establish a fiducial network at numerous locations across the Middle East and Africa. The goal is to measure strains to 1 centimeter accuracy across a grid that extends 60 km from the central rift. Of special interest is determining the areal extent of 5.6 cm/year rifting that has characterized the Asal Rift since aresurrgence of tectonism in 1973.
