The East African Rift is expanding faster than scientists predicted and could split Africa in two within 500,000 years.
The East African Rift, a massive geological phenomenon that could split Africa into two continents, is expanding faster than previously thought, reports BILD.
According to geophysicists, the process, which began millions of years ago, is gaining momentum due to the activity of tectonic plates.
The first noticeable signs of a split appeared in 2005 in Ethiopia, when a crack more than 50 km long appeared. In 2018, a similar thing happened in Kenya. These faults are located above the Great Rift Valley, which began to form about 30 million years ago due to the breakup of the African Plate.
Scientists previously estimated that it would take 5-10 million years for the continent to completely separate. However, new research indicates that this process could be completed in less than a million years. Geophysicist Cynthia Ebinger of Tulane University said the fault’s rate of expansion – 0.8-2.5 cm per year – may be accelerating due to earthquakes and magmatic activity.
As a result, parts of East Africa, particularly Somalia, Ethiopia, Tanzania and part of Kenya, could break away and form a giant island near the continent. The movement of tectonic plates is caused by magma flows rising from deep within the Earth, heating and weakening the earth’s crust.
It was previously reported that as a result of the strongest earthquake in 25 years, a fault was formed in the US state of California, visible from space.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.