Scientists discovery why one of the world's continents apart at double speed
The process stems from the East African Rift System (EARS), which is a 2,000-mile-long rift that began forming at least 22 million years ago and runs through the region where Africa's Great Lakes are located.
This rift marks the boundary between two tectonic plates: the Somali Plate and the Nubian Plate (part of the African Plate), which are gradually pulling away from each other.
Scientists have now identified a massive upwelling of hot, partially molten rock beneath the region, known as the African Superplume, which is driving this divergence.
Beneath the surface, intense heat and pressure from the superplume are weakening and cracking the Earth's outer layer, known as the lithosphere.
GPS measurements indicate that the plates are moving apart at a rate of about 0.2 inches per year, roughly the speed at which human fingernails grow.
Over time, this rifting could form a new ocean, potentially splitting off parts of Somalia, eastern Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania to form a new landmass.
While the full separation was previously thought to take tens of millions of years, recent models suggest it could happen in one to five million years.
In the new study, scientists from the University of Glasgow in Scotland used data from Kenya's Menengai geothermal field to trace the isotopes of the noble gas neon.
This helped the team determine whether the forces splitting Africa apart originate deep within the Earth's mantle or are due to shallower surface tectonic processes.
They found that the gas likely comes from deep within the Earth, between the outer core and the mantle.
Lead author Professor Fin Stuart said in a statement: 'We have long been interested in how the deep Earth rises to surface, how much is transported, and just what role it plays on forming the large-scale topography of the Earth's surface.'
'Our research suggests that a giant hot blob of rock from the core-mantle boundary is present beneath East Africa, it is driving the plates apart and propping up the Africa continent so it hundreds of meters higher than normal,' Stuart added.
Using high-precision mass spectrometry, the team also identified a consistent chemical 'fingerprint' across a wide area.
This supports the theory that the EARS is fueled by a 'superplume,' rather than several smaller sources.
The study provides crucial insights into continental breakup and ocean formation, enabling researchers to comprehend similar processes that have shaped Earth's surface throughout history.
EARS spans from Ethiopia to Malawi, and massive cracks have appeared in recent years.
In 2005, a series of over 400 earthquakes in Ethiopia's Afar region led to the sudden appearance of a 37-mile long crack, providing an example of how dynamic forces works.
Similarly in 2018, a massive crack emerged in Kenya's Great Rift Valley, disrupting transportation and highlighting the ongoing nature of the continental split.
As the rift continues to widen, scientists predict that seawater from the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean will eventually flood the low-lying areas, creating a new ocean basin.
Ken Macdonald, a marine geophysicist, said: 'The Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea will flood over the Afar region and into the East African Rift Valley, giving rise to a new ocean.'
'Consequently, this part of East Africa will evolve into its own distinct continent,' he added.
Countries like Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania could become part of a new landmass, effectively forming a separate continent.
While landlocked nations such as Uganda and Zambia might gain coastlines, altering trade routes and geopolitical dynamic.
This ongoing rifting leads to frequent earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and large fractures across the landscape.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Rare ‘Evil Twin Black Moon' that only occurs every three YEARS due in days as stargazing spectacle linked to ‘end times'
A RARE "black moon" linked to the biblical prophecy of the "End of Time" is expected to show up in the night sky over the weekend. The astronomical spectacle, also known as the Ominous "evil twin" of a new moon, occurs once every three years. 3 3 The calendar quirk occurs when a second new moon rises within a single calendar month. Unlike a full moon, a new moon passes between Earth and the sun, meaning the side facing our planet remains in shadow and is invisible to the naked eye. This means stargazers and astronomy fanatics will not be able to see the spectacle. However, a pitch-dark sky would be the perfect time for enjoying the summer stars - and even the Milky Way galaxy. While the celestial event is a natural phenomenon, it has been widely linked to biblical passages such as Mark 13:24, according to the Daily Mail. It says: "The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light." According to the prophecy, such events occur during the "end of time", a period of significant events leading up to the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of God's eternal kingdom. However, scientists and astronomers were quick to debunk superstitious claims. Walter Freeman, associate teaching professor of physics at Syracuse University, said: "A black moon is just a second new moon that happens in one calendar month. "If a new moon occurs near the beginning of the month, the next one can happen before it's over. What is a Blue Supermoon? "From a scientific perspective, this is no different than any other new moon." It comes after a stunning new Nasa clip captured the moment a rare black hole gobbled up a star and caused an earth-shattering explosion. The clip shows the rare moment that the suspected intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) HLX-1 ripped apart the star, triggering the almighty explosion. Black holes come in a range of sizes, but can be up to 40 billion times bigger than the Sun, Live Science reports. According to Live Science, IMBHs are hard to spot and often confused with clusters of smaller black holes left over from collapsed stars. Researchers also think they may hide behind small groups of stars that closely orbit them without being ripped apart. Meanwhile, a mysterious interstellar object blazing through our solar system could be a piece of "possibly hostile" alien technology, according to a controversial new study. The Moon – our closest neighbour explained The Moon is a natural satellite – a space-faring body that orbits a planet It's Earth's only natural satellite, and is the fifth biggest in the Solar System The Moon measures 2,158 miles across, roughly 0.27 times the diameter of Earth Temperatures on the Moon range from minus 173 degrees Celcius to 260 degrees Celcius Experts assumed the Moon was another planet, until Nicolaus Copernicus outlined his theory about our Solar System in 1543 It was eventually assigned to a "class" after Galileo discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610 The Moon is believed to have formed around 4.51billion years ago The strength of its gravitational field is about a sixth of Earth's gravity Earth and the Moon have "synchronous rotation", which means we always see the same side of the Moon – hence the phrase "dark side of the Moon" The Moon's surface is actually dark, but appears bright in the sky due to its reflective ground During a solar eclipse, the Moon covers the Sun almost completely. Both objects appear a similar size in the sky because the Sun is both 400 times larger and farther The first spacecraft to reach the Moon was in 1959, as part of the Soviet Union's Lunar program The first manned orbital mission was Nasa's Apollo 8 in 1968 And the first manned lunar landing was in 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission The research, from a small group of scientists including a renowned alien-hunting Harvard University astronomer, argues that object 3I/ATLAS is actually an extraterrestrial probe in disguise. On 1 July, astronomers spotted a highly unusual object zooming towards our Sun at roughly 245,000 kilometres per hour - or 68km a second. With a "short tail" and a "fuzziness" around it, astronomers declared it an icy comet - and the fastest rock our solar system has ever seen. Judging by its bizarre orbit, experts determined that the super-fast space traveller had come from outside our solar system. That would make it the third interstellar object to pass Earth on record, following the rare visits of the famous 1I/ʻOumuamua asteroid in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. But Harvard astrophysics professor Avi Loeb and his colleagues suggest it could be something more advanced than an interstellar rock. 3
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Dramatic slowdown in melting of Arctic sea ice surprises scientists
The melting of sea ice in the Arctic has slowed dramatically in the past 20 years, scientists have reported, with no statistically significant decline in its extent since 2005. The finding is surprising, the researchers say, given that carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning have continued to rise and trap ever more heat over that time. They said natural variations in ocean currents that limit ice melting had probably balanced out the continuing rise in global temperatures. However, they said this was only a temporary reprieve and melting was highly likely to start again at about double the long-term rate at some point in the next five to 10 years. The findings do not mean Arctic sea ice is rebounding. Sea ice area in September, when it reaches its annual minimum, has halved since 1979, when satellite measurements began. The climate crisis remains 'unequivocally real', the scientists said, and the need for urgent action to avoid the worst impacts remains unchanged. The natural variation causing the slowdown is probably the multi-decadal fluctuations in currents in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, which change the amount of warmed water flowing into the Arctic. The Arctic is still expected to see ice-free conditions later in the century, harming people and wildlife in the region and boosting global heating by exposing the dark, heat-absorbing ocean. Dr Mark England, who led the study while at the University of Exeter, said: 'It is surprising, when there is a current debate about whether global warming is accelerating, that we're talking about a slowdown. 'The good news is that 10 to 15 years ago when sea ice loss was accelerating, some people were talking about an ice-free Arctic before 2020. But now the [natural] variability has switched to largely cancelling out sea ice loss. It has bought us a bit more time but it is a temporary reprieve – when it ends, it isn't good news.' The research, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, used two different datasets of Arctic sea ice levels from 1979 to the present day. The scientists analysed the sea ice area for every month of the year and the slowdown was seen in all cases. To see if such a slowdown could be a result of natural variation, they examined the results of thousands of climate model runs. 'This is not an extremely rare event – over a century, it should happen a couple of times,' said England, now at the University of California, Irvine. Furthermore, all the simulations showed sea ice loss accelerating again after the slowdown. Prof Julienne Stroeve, of University College London, said: 'We know climate records, be it in global temperatures or sea ice, can remain the same for several years in a row as a result of internal climate variability.' Stroeve's analysis of the long-term trend from 1979 to 2024 shows that about 2.5 sq metres of September ice is lost for every tonne of CO2 emitted. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion Prof Andrew Shepherd, of Northumbria University, said: 'We know that the Arctic sea ice pack is also thinning, and so even if the area was not reducing, the volume still is. Our data show that since 2010 the average October thickness has fallen by 0.6cm per year.' The rate of the rise in global surface temperature has also slowed down in the past, before resuming a rapid rise. A major El Niño event in 1998 was followed by a decade or so of similar global temperatures, which was nicknamed 'the pause'. However, the planet continued to accumulate heat throughout and global temperatures have since risen rapidly. England rejected any suggestion the sea ice slowdown suggested climate change was not real. 'Climate change is unequivocally real, human-driven, and continues to pose serious threats. The fundamental science and urgency for climate action remain unchanged,' he said. 'It is good to explain to people that [the slowdown] is happening, else they are going to hear it from someone who is trying to use it in bad faith as a way to undermine our very solid understanding of what's happening with climate change.'
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Scientists get amazing rare glimpse inside dying star as it explodes
For the first time, scientists have witnessed the inner workings of a dying star as it exploded, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the intricate process of stellar evolution. While cosmic explosions, known as supernovae, are a common end for massive stars, their violent nature typically obscures the star's internal structure, making direct observation challenging. However, a recent breakthrough involving supernova 2021yfj, located within our own Milky Way galaxy, defied this trend. Researchers were able to observe its unjumbled layers, providing a unique window into the heart of a stellar demise. The collapsing star's outermost layers of hydrogen and helium had peeled away long ago, which wasn't surprising. But the star's dense, innermost layers of silicon and sulfur had also shed during the explosion. 'We have never observed a star that was stripped to this amount,' said Northwestern University 's Steve Schulze, who was part of the discovery team that published the research Wednesday in the journal Nature. The finding lends evidence to ideas scientists have about how large stars look near the end of their lives, organized into layers with lighter elements on the outside and heavier ones close to the core. 'Because so many of the layers had been stripped off this star, this basically confirmed what those layers were,' said Anya Nugent, who studies supernovas at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. She was not involved with the new research. It's not yet clear how this star got so whittled down — whether its layers were flung off violently in the final stages of its life or yanked away by a twin star. Future research may yield clues, though scientists acknowledged such an event may be tough to capture again.
