Birth Of A New Ocean In Africa: How The Continent is Splitting Apart

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The East African Rift System (EARS) is an incredible geological wonder that’s shaping the African continent. It’s like a giant crack in the Earth’s surface, stretching over 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from Jordan in southwestern Asia all the way down to Mozambique in southeastern Africa. This massive rift is slowly pulling the continent apart, creating a new ocean in Africa in the process.

Formation And Extent of the EARS

The EARS began forming about 25 million years ago during the Miocene epoch. It’s an active continental rift zone, which means the Earth’s crust is slowly spreading apart. The rift system extends from the Red Sea to Mozambique. Imagine a giant “Y” shape drawn across East Africa – that’s what the EARS looks like.

Key geological features

The EARS is made up of two main branches: the Eastern Rift Valley (also called the Great Rift Valley) and the Western Rift Valley. These branches are home to some incredible features:

• Many of the African Great Lakes, like Lake Tanganyika (the second deepest lake in the world), are found in the rift valleys.
• The rift has created massive volcanoes like Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya.
• The rift valleys are surrounded by high plateaus that drop steeply into the valley floors, sometimes by more than 9,000 feet (2,700 meters).

Tectonic plates involved

The EARS is causing the African Plate to split into two new plates: the Nubian Plate and the Somali Plate. These plates are moving apart at a rate of 6-7 mm per year – that’s about as fast as your fingernails grow! The rift system also includes three smaller plates called microplates: the Victoria Microplate in the north and the Rovuma and Lwandle microplates in the south.

Evidence of Continental Splitting

The East African Rift System (EARS) is slowly pulling Africa apart and there is lots of evidence of this continental splitting.

The 2005 Ethiopian Desert rift

In 2005, a huge crack, 35 miles long, suddenly appeared in Ethiopia’s Afar Desert after an earthquake. This wasn’t just any ordinary crack – it was a sign that Africa is slowly splitting in two. Scientists were surprised by how quickly this rift formed.

Volcanic activity and earthquakes

The EARS is home to many volcanoes and experiences frequent earthquakes. These are clear signs that the Earth is moving and changing. In 2005, volcanic activity accompanied the formation of a deep, wide rift in Ethiopia. This volcanic activity is similar to what happens in undersea rifts and is helping scientists understand how oceans form.

GPS measurements of plate movement

Scientists use GPS to measure how fast the tectonic plates are moving apart. The Arabian Plate is moving away from Africa at about 1 inch per year, while the African plates are moving between half an inch to 0.2 inches yearly. This slow but steady movement is causing Africa to split.

How The New Ocean In Africa Is Forming

The formation of a new ocean is an exciting and complex process that takes millions of years. Let’s dive into how this amazing transformation happens.

Thinning of continental crust

The birth of a new ocean starts with the thinning of the continental crust. This happens when tectonic plates slowly move apart from each other. As they separate, the crust becomes more stretchy and less dense. This stretching causes the crust to crack, creating a series of normal faults that form valleys and elevated areas. These cracks allow hot magma from deep within the Earth to bubble up and fill the gaps.

Magma intrusion and seafloor spreading.

As the crust continues to split, more magma rises to fill the cracks. This process is called seafloor spreading. The hot magma cools quickly when it meets the cold seawater, forming new igneous rock called basalt. This new rock becomes part of Earth’s crust, creating a brand new seafloor. The process repeats over and over, gradually pushing the older crust away from the center of the rift.

Future Implications for Africa

Potential new coastlines

Imagine landlocked countries like Uganda and Zambia getting their own beaches! As Africa splits, these countries might gain coastlines, though it will take about 5 to 10 million years.

Impact on climate and ecosystems

The rift is already affecting Africa’s climate:

• The Ethiopian Highlands, which formed due to rifting, are much greener than the lower areas around them
• .As the rift grows, it could create more lakes, changing the local weather pattern.
• The splitting might displace people and animals and lead to environmental changes.

Timeframe for ocean formation

Hold your horses – this new ocean won’t appear overnight! Scientists think it’ll take about 5 to 10 million years for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to flood into the East African Rift Valley. Over time, East Africa might become its own small continent. It’s like watching a super slow-motion movie of Earth changing.

Key Locations in the Emerging Rift

Erta Ale Volcano

Erta Ale, Ethiopia’s most active volcano, is a fiery wonder in the Danakil Depression. It’s home to a lava lake that’s been bubbling since at least 1967. The volcano has two pit craters, North and South, each with its own lava lake. In January 2023, after 50 years of quiet, the North crater sprang to life with a new lava lake.

Danakil Depression

The Danakil Depression is like a slice of another planet right here on Earth. It’s one of the lowest and hottest places on the planet, sitting more than 100m (328 feet) below sea level. This alien landscape is home to colorful hot springs, salt lakes, and even extreme microbes that scientists study to understand life on other planets. The Danakil is actually a new ocean in the making – millions of years from now, it’ll be underwater as Africa splits apart.

Lake Tanganyika and Other Rift Lakes

The Great Rift Valley cradles some of the world’s oldest and deepest lakes. Lake Tanganyika, the longest lake in the world at 676km (420 miles), is also one of the deepest at 1.5km (1 mile). These lakes are home to an incredible variety of fish, especially cichlids. Lake Malawi alone hosts 14% of the world’s freshwater fish species. These lakes aren’t just beautiful – they’re vital for millions of people who depend on them for their livelihoods.

Comparing African Rifting to Other Rifts And Ocean Formations

Formation of the Atlantic Ocean

The birth of the Atlantic Ocean offers a fascinating comparison to the East African Rift. It all started with a triple junction in what’s now the Gulf of Guinea. Two arms of this junction opened up to form the Atlantic, while the third created the Benue Trough in Nigeria. This process shows how continents can split apart over millions of years, just like what’s happening in East Africa today.

The Midcontinent Rift System

The Midcontinent Rift System (MCR) is another exciting example of continental rifting. It’s a 3000-kilometer-long (1,864 mile) feature that formed about 1.1 billion years ago. The MCR is like a giant fossil rift, preserving the geologic environments of its time. It’s filled with volcanic rocks, making it different from typical rifts. Scientists are still puzzling over why it had so much magma.

Other failed rifts

Not all rifts succeed in splitting continents. The Baikal Rift Valley in Russia and the Rio Grande Rift in the U.S. are examples of failed rifts. These features show us different stages of the rifting process. By comparing them to the East African Rift, scientists can better understand how continents break apart and new oceans form. It’s like piecing together a giant Earth puzzle.

Scientific Debate: Ocean or Failed Rift?

Many scientists predict that a new ocean will form as Africa splits into two parts. This process is linked to the East African Rift, where a 56-kilometer crack appeared in Ethiopia’s desert in 2005. Over the next 5 to 10 million years, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea are expected to flood into the Afar region and East African Rift Valley, creating a new ocean.

Some researchers are skeptical about the formation of a new ocean. They point out that not all rifts succeed in splitting continents. Failed rifts, like the Baikal Rift Valley in Russia and the Rio Grande Rift in the U.S., show different stages of the rifting process without forming oceans.

FAQs

Is there going to be a new ocean in Africa?

Yes, the African continent is experiencing geological changes that could eventually lead to the formation of a new ocean. This is occurring in the Afar Triangle where the East African Rift Valley is located.

What is the estimated time for Africa to fully split?

The complete splitting of Africa is a slow-moving geological process expected to take tens of millions of years. The tectonic plates are currently moving apart at a rate of about 0.2 inches (7 millimeters) per year.

Can you explain the phenomenon of a new ocean forming in Africa?

Geologists have observed that the rift in the Afar Triangle of the African continent might evolve into a new ocean over the next 5 to 10 million years due to the ongoing separation of tectonic plates.

Is a new ocean beginning to form in Africa currently?

Scientists studying the East African Rift Valley have noted significant geological activity in the Ethiopian Afar desert, where a large rift, extending 40 miles (64 kilometers) and in some places over 20 feet (6 meters) wide, indicates the early stages of ocean formation. This rift is located at the juncture of diverging tectonic plates.