Africa is slowly splitting in two. This might sound dramatic, but it’s true. Over millions of years, part of East Africa could break away from the rest of the continent, potentially creating a new ocean.
This process is tied to the East African Rift System (EARS), one of the largest rift zones in the world. It stretches for thousands of kilometers across several countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The African tectonic plate is dividing into two parts: the smaller Somalian plate and the larger Nubian plate. They are moving apart at a gradual pace, just a few millimeters each year, according to a study from 2004.
In 2018, a crack appeared in Kenya, sparking headlines that Africa was splitting apart right before our eyes. While this crack is related to the EARS, it doesn’t mean the separation is happening overnight. The rifting process has been happening for about 25 million years. The crack was more of a local symptom of ongoing activity, not clear evidence of an immediate split.
Experts suggest that in 5 to 10 million years, we may see a significant shift. A new ocean could form between the Somalian and Nubian plates. East Africa would essentially lose its eastern landmass, resulting in a vastly different landscape.
The Earth is always changing, although the shifts are incredibly slow. The continents we know today have not always looked this way. For example, around 138 million years ago, South America and Africa were connected. Their coastlines even fit together like pieces of a puzzle.
As we look to the future, the potential breaking apart of East Africa is just one chapter in the Earth’s long geological story. While it may seem distant, these changes remind us of the constant transformation our planet undergoes.
For more information on tectonic processes, check out this article from the U.S. Geological Survey.
