Every year it gets bigger
Photo: Xataka
A geological phenomenon of colossal proportions is transforming the face of the Earth: Africa is slowly dividing in two. The process, confirmed by studies and highlighted by National geographicoccurs along the East African Rift System, one of the largest tectonic divides in the world that stretches thousands of miles and cuts through countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania.
Fragmentation is caused by the separation of two tectonic subplates: the Somali plate (minor) and the Nubian Plate (bigger). This divergent movement is due to the internal dynamics of the Earth’s mantle and the movement of molten rocks beneath the surface.
The birth of a new sea
The original divide began in the Afar region of northern Ethiopia about 30 million years ago. Since then, the fissure has progressed south towards Zimbabwe at an average speed of 2.5 to 5 centimeters per year. Even if the pace seems slow on a human scale, the geological consequences are definitive.
As the plates move apart, the lithosphere becomes thinner. In a few million years, seawater will flow through the rift, isolating part of East Africa and creating a new ocean between the two landmasses.
In 2005, a 60-kilometer fissure opened in just minutes in western Ethiopia, moving the ground two meters – a change that would normally take centuries.
The researchers indicate that expansion is most rapid in the northern part of the rift, suggesting that the first…
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