Africa is splitting apart: scientists predict the emergence of a new ocean

A geological revolution begins in East Africa: scientists predict the formation of a new ocean

A slow but impressive natural process is taking place on the African continent: the East African Rift System (EARS) - a tectonic fault zone more than 6,000 km long - continues to actively expand. Scientists believe that right here, in the heart of Africa, a new ocean may appear in millions of years.

This involves the splitting of the African plate into two parts: the Nubian and Somalian plates. This geological process is accompanied by earthquakes, volcanic activity, and the formation of deep cracks in the Earth's crust. In Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, faults several kilometers long have already been recorded, appearing literally within days.

"This is a living example of how continents transform," says geologist Catherine Clemens from the University of Leeds. "In 5-10 million years, the waters of the Indian Ocean may begin to fill the forming depression, and the world will get a new ocean."

Despite the dramatic nature of such headlines, scientists emphasize that the process is extremely slow and poses no threat to modern humanity. However, it provides a unique opportunity to observe the birth of a new geographical formation - a process that usually takes hundreds of millions of years.

📌 Context:

• The East African Rift is one of the few zones on Earth where you can observe the beginning of a continent's division.

• A similar process millions of years ago led to the formation of the Atlantic Ocean.

• In the future, East Africa may separate and turn into a separate continent.