The Earth, as a physical planet, is constantly changing. For the most part, the changes happen so slowly, they go unnoticed in our daily lives. Every now and then, however, something major happens that reminds us things are still brewing beneath the surface— and this is one of those times.
According to scientists and geologists, the continent of Africa is literally splitting in two.
Let me cover the science as simply as I can.
The outermost surface layer of the Earth, called the lithosphere, is a section composed of crust, and solid ridged rock. These rocks are broken into giant slabs called tectonic plates, estimated to be about 70 miles thick and located deep beneath continents and oceans.
These big tectonic plates on the surface of the Earth float on the asthenosphere, an inner layer which is more like a liquid. Because of this floating, the giant plates are in constant movement, coming together and separating all the time. Much of the Earth’s seismic and volcanic activity is related to these movements.
Now, tectonic plate movement in the East African Rift (EAR) Valley is splitting the continent into two unequal parts.
The EAR Valley stretches 3,000 kilometers from the Gulf of Aden in the north towards Zimbabwe in the south.
Because tectonic plates move so slowly, scientists estimate the rifts started forming around 23 million years ago— but we’ve been seeing startling changes within the past decade alone. Back in 2010, BBC reported that researchers in the Afar region of Ethiopia witnessed a 60-kilometer fissure (9 meters in width) form over the course of 10 days.
They believed the activity would eventually cause the horn of Africa to fall off.
In April of this year, another large rift was reported in south-western Kenya. It’s grown so large, it’s caused part of the Nairobi-Narok highway to collapse.
As the continent continues to split, experts say the conditions are birthing the world’s sixth ocean.
Dr. James Hammon, a seismologist from the University of Bristol, said: “Eventually this will drift apart. The sea will flood in and will start to create this new ocean.”
“It will pull apart, sink down deeper and deeper and eventually… part of Southern Ethiopia, Somalia will drift off, create a new island, and we’ll have a smaller Africa and a very big island that floats out into the Indian ocean.”
Although these changes may seem urgent, The Weather Network assures people not to be afraid:
“Rifting is a very slow process that, most of the time, goes about splitting Africa without anybody even noticing.”
At this rate, experts predict a new ocean will form in roughly 10 million years.
P.S. If you’re not quite convinced, one example of rifting is the South Atlantic Ocean, which resulted from the break-up of South America and Africa around 138 million years ago. “Ever noticed,” The Weather Network asks, “how their coastlines match like pieces of the same puzzle?”
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