Rift

Rift is a term used to describe a linear zone where the Earth's crust is being pulled apart by tectonic forces. In continental regions, this process can create rift valleys marked by fault-bounded blocks and down-dropped basins. If rifting continues, seafloor spreading may develop, opening a new ocean basin as continental crust thins and faults recruit magma to the crust.

Rift zones form at divergent plate boundaries and are associated with high heat flow and volcanism. Notable examples include the East African Rift System in Africa, the Baikal Rift Zone in Siberia, and the Rio Grande Rift in North America. In marine settings, spreading centers along mid-ocean ridges are the oceanic counterparts of rifts, continually creating new crust as plates separate.

Rift is also used in popular culture to name titles such as Rift, a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Trion Worlds and released in 2011. In the game, rifts are portals to other planes that periodically open and allow invasions into the world.

In broader usage, rift can refer to a break or gap within a physical structure, a social relationship, or a field of study, indicating a discontinuity or division between elements.