Why scientists think Africa may split in two to make way for a sixth ocean
Scientists have discovered a rather interesting phenomenon occurring in the Ethiopian desert, one that could lead to the birth of a sixth ocean in the world.
Earth’s oceans are divided into five, Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Antarctic. This phenomenon stems from a 35-mile-long crack in the Ethiopian desert which happened in 2005 after a massive eruption at the Dabbahu volcano, resulting in the shifting of tectonic plates in different directions.
According to National Geographic, plate tectonics is a scientific theory that explains how major landforms like volcanoes, and earthquakes are created as a result of the Earth’s subterranean movements.
In plate tectonics, Earth’s outermost layer, or lithosphere made up of the crust and upper mantle is broken into large rocky plates which lie on top of a partially molten layer of rock called the asthenosphere and move relative to each other at different rates.
The African tectonic plate has been studied for several years with scientists trying to understand movements and transition but over time three tectonic plates, the African Somali plate in Eastern Africa, the African Nubian plate, and the Arabian plate seem to be moving far away from each other.
In the past, the shifting of the Arabian plate from Africa resulted in the creation of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden between East Africa and West Asia.
According to NBC news, rifting of the tectonic plate has been gradual and since 2005, other activities have occurred including another volcanic eruption that happened in 2009. By 2019, the rift had widened further.
With this development, scientists believe in a million years to come, maybe five or more, a new ocean will be formed within the East African Rift.
The East African Rift, which separates eastern coastal countries like Kenya and Tanzania from most of the continent, passes across Mozambique from the Afar area of northern Ethiopia.
“The Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea will flood in over the Afar region and into the East African Rift Valley and become a new ocean, and that part of East Africa will become its separate small continent,” A researcher, Macdonald, was quoted by NBC news.
This will leave the African continent split in two with a smaller continent and parts of Ethiopia and Somalia between the Indian Ocean.
If this happens, nations like Zambia and Uganda will have their own coastlines.
