Is Africa splitting into two continents?

A massive fissure is gradually dividing Africa, the second largest continent on Earth.

A colossal crack is slowly dividing Africa, the second largest continent in the world. According to the Geological Society of London, this trench - known as the East African Rift - is a network of valleys stretching about 3,500 km, from the Red Sea to Mozambique. Will the East African Rift split this continent and create a new ocean or will it dissipate?

Will Africa be completely split?

So, will Africa be completely split, and if so, when will it happen?

To answer this question, let's examine the tectonic plates in the region, the outer layers of the Earth's surface may collide, forming mountains or move apart, creating vast basins.

Along this colossal rift in East Africa, the Somali tectonic plate is shifting eastward away from the larger, older Nubian plate, as stated by NASA's Earth Observatory. (The Somali plate is also known as the Somali Plate, and the Nubian plate is sometimes referred to as the African Plate.)

The Somali and Nubian plates are also separating from the Arabian Plate to the north. The Geological Society of London notes that these tectonic plates intersect in the Afar region of Ethiopia, creating a Y-shaped rift system.

Rift from 35 Million Years Ago

The East African Rift began forming about 35 million years ago between the Arabian and African plates in the eastern part of this continent, according to Cynthia Ebinger, chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Tulane University in New Orleans and scientific advisor to the Africa Bureau of the U.S. Department of State. This rift has extended southward over time, reaching northern Kenya about 25 million years ago.

The fissure consists of two sets of parallel cracks in the Earth's crust. The Geological Society of London notes that the eastern crack passes through Ethiopia and Kenya, while the western crack runs in an arc from Uganda to Malawi. The eastern branch is arid, while the western branch lies along the border of the Congo tropical rainforest, according to NASA's Earth Observatory.

Ebinger states that the presence of both eastern and western cracks, as well as the discovery of offshore earthquake and volcanic regions, indicates that Africa's crack is gradually opening up, at a rate of over 6.35 mm per year.

Ken Macdonald, an honorary professor of Earth science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, stated: 'The current rift is occurring very slowly, equivalent to the speed of toenail growth in a person.'

How will Africa Split?

According to the Geological Society of London, the East African Rift could form due to weaker heat dissipation in the upper part of the Earth's crust - between Kenya and Ethiopia. This heat causes the upper crust to expand and rise, leading to stretching and cracking of the brittle continental rock. This results in significant volcanic activity, including the formation of Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, noted by NASA's Earth Observatory.

If Africa were truly to split, there would be various opinions on how it could happen. One scenario is that the majority of the Somali tectonic plate separates from the rest of the African continent, with a sea forming between them.

Ebinger stated that this new landmass would include Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and the eastern parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique.

Another scenario involves only the eastern parts of Tanzania and Mozambique breaking away, Ebinger pointed out.

Ebinger suggests that if the African continent were to break apart, the rifts in Ethiopia and Kenya could separate to form the Somali Plate within the next 1 to 5 million years.

However, Africa may not split. Ebinger notes that the tectonic forces driving the rifts may be too slow to separate the Somali and Nubian plates.

According to the Geological Society of London, the eastern branch of the East African Rift is an unsuccessful rift. However, the western branch remains active.

GS Macdonald says, 'What we don't know is whether this rift will continue at its current rate to eventually open up an ocean basin, like the Red Sea, and then something much larger, like a small version of the Atlantic Ocean. Or will it accelerate and get there faster? Or could it just stop altogether?'

According to Live Science