Mount Kilimanjaro is a product of the East African Rift Valley, a major tectonic feature where the Earth’s crust is stretching and thinning. This “continental rifting” process creates pathways for magma to ascend from the mantle. While most rifting occurs on ocean floors, this system is tearing the African continent apart. Kilimanjaro, located in Tanzania, is the most prominent volcanic result of this internal pressure. As the rift expands, it produces significant volcanic and seismic activity across East Africa, eventually leading to the formation of a new ocean basin millions of years in the future.