Active, young continental rift systems provide a unique window into the earliest stages of continental breakup, host earthquakes and other geohazards, and are highly sensitive to environmental change. However, many questions remain about the geological structures that enable extension throughout the lithosphere in young rifts and their implications for hazards. In this presentation, Professor Donna Shillington will summarize new results from the Malawi Rift in east Africa that provide new insights into the earliest stages of continental breakup. This rift is bound by some of the largest normal faults in the world, has experienced a series of recent earthquakes, and hosts one of the world's largest freshwater lakes. Professor Shillington will also compare this young rift with other extensional settings, including the Basin and Range in the western US and the Corinth Rift in Greece.   Donna Shillington is a Professor in the School of Earth and Sustainability at Northern Arizona University, where she has been since 2020. Her research focuses on deformation, magmatism and sedimentation at active and ancient plate tectonic boundaries. Shillington collects data on land and at sea; she has sailed on 19 research cruises around the world and also lead major seismic data collection efforts on land. Geology Talks are in partnership with