Which mechanism causes a graben valley to form within a continental rift zone involving normal faults?

💡 Explanation

When tensional stress occurs along normal faults in a continental rift, crustal blocks subside because gravitational force exceeds the material strength, creating a graben valley. Therefore, tensional stress causes subsidence, rather than compressional stress causing uplift, shear stress causing strike-slip motion, or isostatic rebound which requires glacial unloading.

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