Africa continues to split – new ocean may appear

According to Geologists, Africa could be split into two parts – two large parts of the continent are moving apart as a new ocean is forming.

By: Keliah Daniels

Scientists predict that Africa could be split into two parts by the formation of a new ocean.

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LARGE PARTS OF AFRICA ARE MOVING APART

According to geologists, two large parts of Africa are moving apart. This could result in the creation of a new body of water. The sudden appearance of the crack may affect the lives of those locals living and working in the area.

The simplest explanation is that this crack was formed by the erosion of soil beneath the surface due to recent heavy rains in Kenya.

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THE FLOODS IN KENYA HAS CAUSED EROSION BEFORE

A further look at satellite optical imagery indicates that similar erosional features can be seen elsewhere in the area, which suggests that these sudden flood events have caused erosion before. 

In an interview with NBC, a doctorate student at the University of Leeds, Christopher Moore, said that “this is the only place on earth where you can study how a continental rift becomes an oceanic rift. These types of tectonic shifts were also observed in the creation of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden between East Africa and Western Asia.“

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The crack was identified as being at the border of three tectonic plates. The three plates, the Nubian African Plate, Somalian African Plate, and Arabian Plate are separating at different speeds.

Uganda and Zambia could potentially have their coastlines in millions of years. Geologists claim that the new ocean will result in East Africa becoming a separate small continent.