The breakdown of the African plate into two, which will trigger the creation of a new ocean.
Planet Earth is constantly evolving and one of the most impressive geological changes is already underway.
In the heart of Africa, as cronista.com reports, an unprecedented phenomenon changes the face of Epirus: the breakdown of the African plate in two, which will trigger the creation of a new ocean.
This process is nothing new, it has been in progress for millions of years, but it is starting to accelerate and its consequences could change the world map much shorter than we have believed to date.
Why can Africa be divided into two?
The tectonic rift, as this phenomenon is known, takes place in the Afar area, where Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti meet. Here, the slabs of Somalia and Nubia are removed at a rate of 2.5 cm per year.
While this may seem insignificant, it is an amazing pace geological. Recent research shows that this process could culminate in just one to two million years, a fraction of time compared to other geological events of this size.
This phenomenon has already left visible traces. In 2005, a flock of earthquakes in Ethiopia caused the appearance of a 56km rift in the desert and in 2018 another huge rift appeared in Kenya. These changes show that the Earth’s bark is thinning, facilitating the entry of the Indian Ocean and Red Sea and will eventually create a new ocean basin.
The case of Africa is a reminder that our planet is in constant change.
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