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What is causing East Africa to rift apart?
What will happen if Africa splits?
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How will rifting reshape the African continent?
Jul 17, 2020 · The Arabian plate is moving away from Africa at a rate of about 1 inch per year, while the two African plates are separating even slower, between half an inch to 0.2 inches per year, according...
Apr 1, 2018 · Science Apr 1, 2018 11:43 AM EDT. A large crack, stretching several kilometers, made a sudden appearance recently in south-western Kenya. The tear, which continues to grow, caused part of the ...
Jun 17, 2023 · Geology. Is Africa splitting into two continents? News. By Charles Q. Choi. published 17 June 2023. Will the East African Rift split the continent and create a new ocean, or will it fizzle out?...
- Why Does Rifting Happen?
- Breaking Up Isn’T Easy
- A Timeline in Action
When the lithosphere is subject to a horizontal extensional force it will stretch, becoming thinner. Eventually, it will rupture, leading to the formation of a rift valley. This process is accompanied by surface manifestations along the rift valley in the form of volcanism and seismic activity. Rifts are the initial stage of a continental break-up ...
Rifts exhibit a very distinctive topography, characterised by a series of fault-bounded depressions surrounded by higher terrain. In the East African system, a series of aligned rift valleys separated from each other by large bounding faults can be clearly seen from space. Not all of these fractures formed at the same time, but followed a sequence ...
The East African Riftis unique in that it allows us to observe different stages of rifting along its length. To the south, where the rift is young, extension rates are low and faulting occurs over a wide area. Volcanism and seismicity are limited. Towards the Afar region, however, the entire rift valley floor is covered with volcanic rocks. This su...
Mar 19, 2024 · While experts have known that Africa is splitting in two for a while, pinpointing the exact cause has been a struggle. A wide zone of seismic activity and evidence now suggests the rift is caused by a superplume upwelling along the eastern edge of Africa.
Apr 10, 2012 · The first step in the break-up of Africa is well-underway. Sure, it might still be millions of years before Africa splits in two, but this new research provides valuable insight about the...
Dec 21, 2018 · The East African Rift Valley stretches over 3,000 km 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. Activity along the eastern branch of the rift valley, running along Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania, became evident when the large crack suddenly ...
