The African continent is splitting in two and the result will eventually be a huge new continent. which will leave Africa without its’s horn. The reason is a geological rift which runs down the eastern side of the continent which will eventually be replaced with a new ocean basin.
Things began to change around 180 million years ago when the modern South Atlantic Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Indian Oceans began to form. Since the super-continent PANGEA split apart, creating the land masses we now recognise as South America, Australia, India, Madagascar, Antarctica and, Africa.
African continent is splitting!! WHAT! WHY? HOW?
The Earth’s lithosphere (formed by the crust and the upper part of the mantle of the earth) is broken up into a number of tectonic plates.
These tectonic plates are not static or stay at one place, they move slowly and sometimes faster relative to each other at varying speeds, “gliding”over the asthenosphere. (the mechanism of the area of their floating is still under debate)
These movements are the causes of various changes on earth’s continent’s structures (African continent split) and even earthquakes, which are merely to settle down the disturbed areas of earth.these pushes and forces passes the convection currents within the asthenosphere and it is generated at the boundaries between the plates.
These forces can also cause plates to rupture, forming a rift and potentially leading to the creation of new plate boundaries. which is formally known as a “Rift valley”.
THE NEW CONTINENT?
The East African Rift Valley stretches over 3,000km. It is from the Gulf of Aden in the north towards Zimbabwe in the south, splitting the African plate into two unequal parts: the Somali and Nubian plates. The new continent is to called as the Nubian continent.
Activity along the eastern branch of the rift valley, running along Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania, became evident when the large crack suddenly appeared in south-western Kenya.
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So, how much time will the split take?
Researchers say that it was to happen in billion years, but the pace has become faster as the results are actively being shown in the various parts near Kenya and the Nubian coast. It will still take a thousand years, they say! but aren’t we all excited!!