A slow-moving geological change in East Africa could reshape the continent and the world. Tectonic forces are gradually pulling the African continent apart, potentially creating a new ocean. This shift offers scientists insights into Earth’s evolution over millions of years.The East African Rift, one of the planet’s most active fault systems, stretches across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, separating the Nubian and Somalian plates. This drift may give landlocked nations like Uganda and Zambia coastlines in the distant future. Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Eritrea could break away, allowing Indian Ocean water to fill the gap, forming new coastlines and altering northeast Africa’s climate and geography.In 2005, a 35-mile-long crack appeared in the Ethiopian desert, marking the rift’s emergence. Research indicates parts of the rift move apart at 0.3 inches annually due to magma movement below the surface.Seismic data from Geophysical Research Letters suggests the rift’s formation mirrors oceanic rift zones, driven by the African Nubian, African Somali, and Arabian plates pulling apart.This tectonic movement causes seismic activity, including volcanoes, geysers, valleys, and potential earthquakes as mountain ranges shift. The Southern Ocean, identified in 2021, was the last new ocean recognised.Written by: Nikhila Gayatri Kalla, Intern.
Source link
