Is Africa Splitting Into Two Continents Also A New Ocean Created Between Them
Is Africa splitting into two continents? Yes, Africa is splitting in two through a huge rift that stretches several thousand kilometers through at least ten countries. It could create a vast ocean that would divide the Somali and Nubia plates as it splits into two continents.
Earth, as we know it is short on time. The appearance of our planet is changing as the tectonic plates shift and fit like a puzzle, redistributing the continents and oceans on time scales of millions of years. The changes are very slow, so humans cannot perceive them, although the earth sometimes gives clues about what will happen.
Is Africa Splitting Into Two Continents And Have A New Ocean
The enormous 5,000-kilometer-long rift that separates the continent is called the ‘East African Rift System‘ (EARS) and divides parts of Ethiopia, the Congo, Uganda, and Zambia, among other countries. It is also sometimes called the African Rift or the Great Rift Valley.
In about 5 to 10 million years, according to some studies, a vast ocean could form, turning East Africa into an island, with a sea where the rift now lies.
The rift began 20 million years ago due to the movement in opposite directions of the Somali and Nubian or African plates. The first does it to the east and the second to the northwest. Since then, the tectonic plates have moved a few millimeters apart each year. There is little consensus on when it will open up enough for an ocean to form.
What Caused The Cracks In Kenya?
Kenya experiences some of the most extreme climate changes anywhere on the planet. The region can be susceptible to draughts and floods. Sustained hot periods and dry weather give way to sudden bursts of heavy rainfall.
Shortly before the crack was first identified, a spell of heavy rain could have deteriorated the extremely dry soil closest to the surface. With such a large volume of water falling quickly, this could have formed grooves in the surface that quickly grew deeper as the rainwater flowed.
Studies have also recommended that areas around major fault lines are more likely to experience erosion in this way due to the higher-than-usual concentration of volcanic ash deposited in the soil.
