Scientists warn Africa is breaking apart faster than expected
Scientists have warned that the African continent is splitting apart at a faster rate than previously thought.
A 56-kilometer (35-mile) fissure that appeared in Ethiopia in 2005 has been expanding at a rate of 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) per year.
Researchers initially believed it would take tens of millions of years for the rift to fully open. However, Professor Ken Macdonald from the University of California, Santa Barbara, told the Daily Mail that this could now happen within 1 to 5 million years.
This geological separation would create both a new ocean and a new continent.
"What might happen is that the waters of the Indian Ocean would come in and flood what is now the East African Rift Valley," he explained.
The researcher also noted that this new ocean could become as deep as the Atlantic Ocean if rainfall in the region remains significant.
The rift stretches across Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, and half of Ethiopia.
(QG - Source: Daily Mail / Picture: © Pixabay)