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Economic Times
23-05-2025
- Science
- Economic Times
Is Africa splitting in two? Scientists uncover fiery force tearing the continent apart faster than predicted
iStock Scientists have uncovered a massive superheated force beneath East Africa that's rapidly tearing the continent apart. The East African Rift, once thought to take tens of millions of years to split, may now form a new ocean in just one to five million years. Deep beneath the sun-scorched plains of East Africa, something extraordinary is unfolding—something so vast in scale that it could eventually reshape the very face of our planet. A new study has revealed that the East African Rift System (EARS), the 2,000-mile-long tear that runs from Ethiopia to Malawi, is ripping apart the continent at nearly double the previously estimated speed. According to a report from the Daily Mail , this dramatic process, long thought to be glacially slow, is being accelerated by a powerful and ancient force surging from the depths of the Earth—a massive upwelling of superheated rock known as the African Superplume. Scientists say this 'giant hot blob' is not only pushing tectonic plates apart but also elevating the continent by hundreds of meters. And its influence is far greater—and faster—than once believed. At the heart of this seismic drama lies the boundary between the Somali Plate and the Nubian Plate, where GPS tracking has long recorded their gradual separation. But new research led by scientists from the University of Glasgow, using advanced isotope tracing and high-precision mass spectrometry, now suggests that this process is being driven from deep within the Earth's mantle—far deeper than surface tectonic activity alone could explain. By studying the isotopes of the noble gas neon from Kenya's Menengai geothermal field, researchers traced the chemical signature back to the core-mantle boundary. It's a smoking gun that confirms the presence of the African Superplume—an enormous reservoir of molten rock fueling the continental rift. "We've always known the surface was changing, but now we know the true power lies far below," said lead author Professor Fin Stuart. "This upwelling force is not only driving the plates apart, it's lifting the entire region." The consequences of this tectonic ballet are already visible on the surface. In 2005, a sudden swarm of over 400 earthquakes in Ethiopia's Afar region opened a staggering 37-mile-long fissure in just days. In 2018, another colossal crack tore through Kenya's Great Rift Valley, halting traffic and making headlines around the world. As the rift continues to widen—now at around 0.2 inches per year—the stage is being set for an entirely new ocean to form. According to marine geophysicist Ken Macdonald, 'The Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea will eventually flood into the East African Rift Valley. A new ocean will be born.' In the distant future—possibly within just one to five million years—countries like Somalia, eastern Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania could drift away from the mainland, creating a new continent altogether. Meanwhile, landlocked nations such as Uganda and Zambia might find themselves with coastlines, completely reshaping regional geopolitics and trade routes. — Rainmaker1973 (@Rainmaker1973) Beyond the astonishing visuals and dramatic forecasts, this research underscores a profound truth: our planet is in constant, powerful motion. What appears to be solid and eternal underfoot is, in reality, shifting, cracking, and transforming. The East African Rift is not just a tear in the Earth's crust—it's a preview of planetary rebirth, a glimpse into the same elemental forces that once shaped the Atlantic Ocean and will eventually redraw the map once again. So, are the continents breaking apart faster than we imagined? The science says yes—and East Africa is just the beginning.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Africa is going through a massive breakup thanks to an impending continental separation
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Africa is dividing in two, and a new landmass and ocean may form sooner than expected. The change could alter the climate and ecosystem of the region, as well as the way humans live. In the geologic history of Earth, shifting plate tectonics are commonplace. Africa's impending rift is but another chapter in that story. The Earth's continents are far from constant. Plate tectonics have caused the landmasses to shift over time, and another shift is occurring in the 21st century. Scientists have known for the past two decades that Africa has been splitting. In 2005, Ethiopia experienced earthquakes that caused the appearance of a 35-mile-long fissure in the desert called the East African Rift. "It marked the start of a long process in which the African plate is splitting into two tectonic plates: the Somali plate and the Nubian plate," said Unilad. Then, in 2018, another crack appeared in Kenya along the rift. The cracks are "associated with the East African Rift System (EARS)," which stretches "downward for thousands of kilometers through several countries in Africa, including Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique," said IFL Science. The rift has been widening over time, and along the system there have been varying levels of seismic activity, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Earth Science. But "in the human life scale, you won't be seeing many changes," Ken Macdonald, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said to Daily Mail. "You'll be feeling earthquakes, you'll be seeing volcanoes erupt, but you won't see the ocean intrude in our lifetimes." Even with the long timelines, scientists suggest that the rift is happening quicker than previously thought. Original estimates put a complete split at tens of millions of years from now. "With the continent dividing at a rate of half an inch per year, those estimations have sped up," said Unilad. MacDonald puts the timeline at between one million and five million years. The split will change the world's continental makeup. "Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania and some parts of Ethiopia would form a new continent separated by the world's sixth ocean," said Metro. A change this drastic could have major implications for the region's biodiversity and ecosystem. Landlocked nations like Uganda and Zambia would gain coastlines which could influence weather patterns and climate. "This transformation could affect biodiversity, water resources and agricultural practices, posing both challenges and opportunities for the inhabitants of East Africa," said HowStuffWorks. In addition "the gradual separation might influence the continent's geopolitical landscape," and "create new opportunities for trade and communication." A new continent is small potatoes in the context of Earth's geological history. All the continents were once a giant landmass known as Pangea, which then split off into the continents we know today. Only recently, scientists mapped the hidden continent of Zealandia located in the Southern Ocean. Africa's split "will be just another move in this giant geological playbook," said IFL Science. "Whether we as a species will survive for long enough to witness it? Well, that's a different story."
