Irreversible rift
The African continent is splitting into two: a new study by scientists on the sixth ocean
**An Irreversible Rift**
Major tectonic processes continue on the African continent, which in the future will lead to the emergence of a new continent. According to a study published in the scientific journal "Geodesy & Cartography", the main sign of the upcoming changes is the widening of the rift in the Earth's crust in the area of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya. According to scientists, Africa is currently in the stage of a long-term split into two large fragments.
Since the East African Rift—a giant 35-mile crack in the Ethiopian desert—appeared in 2005, the movement of lithospheric plates in this region has not stopped. Researchers have found that tectonic activity is gradually leading to the separation of the eastern part of the landmass from the main plate.
For humans, these changes are almost imperceptible, as the plates are moving apart at a rate of only about 4.7–7 millimeters per year. However, external signs of the process are already visible: these include huge cracks in the soil, increased volcanic activity, and regular earthquakes in East Africa.
According to experts' estimates, the geological rift zone includes the territories of Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, which over time will be divided into two parts. The complete separation of the landmass, according to their calculations, will take between 5 and 10 million years: the continent will split into two separate subcontinents, and the space between them will be filled by a new ocean basin.
The mechanisms by which a new ocean is born are well studied and confirmed by dozens of examples from Earth's geological history. When two lithospheric plates diverge, a rift occurs between them, into which magma from the mantle begins to rise; as it solidifies, it forms a new oceanic crust. Then, the rift gradually widens and deepens, after which water from neighboring seas and oceans begins to flow into it.
It was precisely under this scenario millions of years ago that the Atlantic Ocean emerged when the ancient supercontinent Pangaea broke apart. Now, we are witnessing the beginning of the same process on the African continent.