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Description: Our understanding of how magma poor rifts accommodate strain remains limited largely due to sparse geophysical data from these rift systems. In order to understand the rifting processes of magma poor rifts, we investigate the lithospheric structure of the Malawi Rift, which is part of the East African Rift System. We analyzed satellite gravity data using the two-dimensional (2D) power-density spectrum technique and 2D forward modeling to estimate the crustal and lithospheric thickness beneath the rift. We find (1) thinner crust (~37-39 km) beneath the northern Malawi Rift, and thicker crust (~41-45 km) beneath the central and southern Malawi Rift, (2) along-axis thinning of the lithosphere beneath the entire rift with the thinnest lithosphere (115-125 km) occurring beneath its northern part, and (3) an approximately east-west belt of thicker lithosphere (~180-210 km) beneath the central Malawi Rift. We infer magma assisted rifting in the northern Malawi Rift where preexisting zones of weakness have been observed. Three-dimensional (3D) edge-driven convection modeling shows relatively rapid (~30 mm/yr) mantle upwelling beneath the northern Malawi Rift that is coupled to crustal deformation, producing dynamic topography. Decompression melts of upwelling mantle materials migrate southward (~10 mm/yr) beneath the amagmatic central and southern Malawi Rift segments where the thick crust is decoupled from the lithospheric mantle. We conclude that continental rift initiation in magma poor rifts require strain localization from lithospheric weakening by mantle melts or fluids at depth yet to breach the surface. *NB: This paper is under peer-review in the Tectonophysics Journal, however your comments are highly welcome.*