Study on deformation characteristics of African tectonic plate from gravitational potential energy

Studying the patterns and characteristics of seismic activity and crustal deformation in Africa is vital for understanding the geodynamics and predicting seismic hazards in the region. By understanding the deformation characteristics, scientists can help mitigate the risk of earthquake-related disasters in Africa. However, assessing deformations has been difficult because of scarce historical and instrumental seismic records and geodetic data. In this study, the finite element analysis was used to determine the crustal deformations in the form of strains in the EARS from the tectonic model gravitational potential as a stress driver. The strain patterns in various regions were then assessed where reliable, independent studies could be validated. Finally, the inferences of crustal strains to crustal deformations in various parts of the continent were drawn. The simulation results showed us that the strain of the \(2\; \times \;10^{ - 8} /{\text{yr}}\) $2\times {10}^{-8}/\text{yr}$ was observed in the Main Ethiopian rift, and it decreased in the EARS toward Mozambique. The strain in the convergent margins of North Africa was also in the order of ~  \(2\; \times \;10^{ - 8} /{\text{yr}}\) $2\times {10}^{-8}/\text{yr}$ . However, the principal strains in the stable central and West African countries could reach ~  \(4\; \times \;10^{ - 9} /{\text{yr}}\) $4\times {10}^{-9}/\text{yr}$ . Thus, the results were consistent with those from geodetic strains. In addition, a high degree of relationship existed between the seismic studies and model strains.