Scientists have reported that Africa is breaking up into two parts, which may eventually lead to the formation of a new ocean. This finding was published in the peer-reviewed journal Geophysical Research Letters. Two major sections of the continent are slowly peeling apart, according to the study.
The reason behind Africa’s splitting is linked to a 35-mile-long crack that appeared in Ethiopia’s desert following an earthquake in 2005. This crack will eventually become a new sea. The research reveals that similar tectonic processes are taking place at the bottom of the ocean that has caused the creation of the rift. The crack was discovered at the border of three tectonic plates – African Nubian, African Somali, and Arabian – that have been separating for some time.
The East African Rift Valley spans over 3,000km from the Gulf of Aden in the north to Zimbabwe in the south. It splits the African plate into two parts – the Somali and Nubian plates, as per The Conversation.
Christopher Moore, a doctorate student at the University of Leeds, says that this geological process will eventually divide the continent. Currently landlocked countries like Uganda and Zambia will eventually gain their own coastlines, which may take five to ten million years. Moore used satellite radar to track volcanic activity in East Africa that is linked to the continent’s fragmentation, according to a 2020 NBC report.
As per Down to Earth, the unintended consequence of this natural occurrence will be the evacuation of people and the potential loss of lives. The advent of new coastlines may lead to new opportunities for economic expansion. These countries will benefit from additional trade ports, fishing grounds, and subsea internet infrastructure, which will boost their economic potential.
If the Somali and Nubian tectonic plates continue to separate, a smaller continent will be formed that will contain present-day Somalia as well as sections of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania.
It will take millions of years for Africa to split into two unequal parts. The new ocean may take at least 5 million to 10 million years to form. This could eventually give the landlocked countries of Uganda and Zambia their own coastlines. The smaller continent created by the rift will include countries such as present-day Somalia and parts of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, according to USA Today.
GPS tracking has revealed the varying rates at which the land movements between these tectonic plates are occurring. The Arabian plate is shifting away from Africa at a rate of one inch per year.
