Which geological feature is a lowland region formed by the divergence of tectonic plates, characterized by steep walls and a central block?

• A. Ocean Basin
• B. Rift Valley
• C. Planets farthest from the Sun
• D. Fault

Answer: (B)

Divergent plate boundaries pull the crust apart, creating normal faults. As the crust thins, blocks between these faults can tilt and subside, so the central block drops down relative to its neighbors. This creates a long, low valley with steep side walls formed by the bounding fault escarpments—the classic rift valley. The key idea is a low-lying region produced by the sinking central block between diverging sides.

This matches the described feature precisely: a lowland trough carved by divergent movement, with a central block that has dropped and steep walls on either side. An ocean basin, by contrast, is a large seafloor feature formed at spreading centers but isn’t defined by a sunk central block flanked by landward escarpments. A fault alone is simply a fracture and doesn’t by itself create a lowland valley. And planets far from the Sun have no bearing on this geologic formation.