A significant crack that has become increasingly pronounced in Africa has prompted scientists to investigate for quite some time, and now, they have determined what is happening beneath that fissure.
For several years, researchers have recognized that two landmasses – which make up the second-largest and second-most populous continent in the world – have started to drift apart, and by the end of 2022, a large crack was observed in between.
Now, according to the journal Geophysical Research Letters, geologists have confirmed that an ocean is forming beneath it, as Africa is splitting in two. This means that countries that are currently landlocked, such as Zambia and Uganda, may one day have their own coastlines.
Scientists have also pinpointed the exact location – deep underground – where this continent is beginning to separate.
The large crack in Africa. (Photo: SOT).
The large crack in Africa lies along the boundary of three tectonic plates, which are gradually drifting apart. It is unclear whether this is one of the causes of the recent earthquake disasters in Turkey and Syria last month. The reason for the tectonic plates moving away from each other is believed to be due to the intense heat.
Currently, the crack is referred to as the East African Rift, which has now reached a length of 35 miles (56.3 km).
A part of Africa will separate and a new ocean is forming. (Photo: SOT).
Of course, the movement of land masses typically occurs very slowly, and researchers must use GPS tools to measure it accurately. According to Ken Macdonald, a geophysicist and emeritus professor at the University of California, part of East Africa will eventually become a separate small continent. At that time, there will be a new ocean on Earth, though it remains to be seen what it will be named.
