The East African Rift, an immense rift, is gradually opening into the second largest continent, Africa. This depression, which extends for approximately 3,500 kilometers from the Red Sea to Mozambique, is a complex network of valleys, according to the London Geological Society.
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The separation of Africa is the result of the interaction of tectonic plates, which can move and generate tensions in the earth's crust.
According to NASA's Earth Observatory, along the East African Rift, the Somali tectonic plate is moving eastward relative to the Nubian tectonic plate. This colossal rupture in East Africa is the result of this interaction between the plates.
The Somali Plate is pulling eastwards relative to the oldest and largest part of the continent, the Nubian Plate, which is also sometimes called the Africa Plate. This tectonic movement plays a significant role in the formation of the East African Rift.
The Afar region of Ethiopia is a complex meeting point between the Somali, Nubian and Arabian tectonic plates.
In this region, these plates are pulling apart from each other, creating a Y-shaped rift system, as observed by the Geological Society of London.
Is Africa breaking up?
According to Cynthia Ebinger, chair of geology at Tulane University and science advisor to the U.S. Department of State, the East African Rift began to form about 35 million years ago years.
Initially, it occurred between the region of Arabia and the Horn of Africa, in the eastern part of the continent.
Over time, this rift extended southwards, reaching northern Kenya approximately 25 million years ago. This southern progression is evidence of the ongoing evolution of the East African Rift over millions of years.
However, it is important to point out that the complete division of Africa is not a current scientific prediction and there is no precise timeline for this to happen. It is a geological process that takes place over very long time scales.
Although Africa is crossed by the East African Rift, which indicates an ongoing geological separation, the continent is not expected to disintegrate completely. The process of continental division is extremely slow and takes place over millions of years.
Cynthia Ebinger explains that the geological forces responsible for the rupture may not be fast enough to separate the Somali and Nubian plates, indicating that the complete splitting of the African continent into two parts is unlikely.
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