What is a key characteristic of continental rifting?

In the context of continental rifting, a key characteristic is the formation of new oceanic crust, which occurs as the continent pulls apart, creating a rift valley. As the land separates, the thinning lithosphere allows magma from the mantle to rise and solidify, leading to the development of new crust at the mid-continental rift.

While significant oil and gas accumulation can be associated with certain tectonic environments, it is not a defining feature of continental rifting itself. Continental rifting primarily leads to geological activities like volcanism and can contribute to the creation of new ocean basins, rather than directly focusing on hydrocarbon deposits. Thus, recognizing the process of rifting and the resulting formation of new crust is instrumental in understanding the broader geological implications of continental plate movements.