Kilimanjaro is a product of the tectonic rifting in East Africa. As the African plate slowly pulls apart along the East African Rift, magma rises to the surface, creating massive volcanoes like Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and Mount Elgon. Although it is in a tropical region, its high altitude (5,895m) allows for glaciers to exist at its summit, though they are shrinking rapidly due to climate change. It is an “intraplate” volcano, meaning it is not at a plate edge but at a thinning point within the African continent itself.