New research suggests that Africa could be gradually breaking apart, as scientists discover major changes beneath the Earth’s surface in East Africa.
According to findings published in Nature Communications and reported by ScienceDaily, the crust under the Turkana Rift in East Africa is thinning faster than previously believed, showing signs that the continent may be moving toward a future split.
The Turkana Rift, which stretches across parts of Kenya and Ethiopia, is part of the larger East African Rift System. This system is slowly pulling apart the African tectonic plate from nearby plates at a rate of about 4.7 millimetres per year.
Scientists say this stretching process, known as “rifting,” causes the Earth’s crust to weaken and crack, allowing magma to rise from deep below. Over millions of years, this could eventually lead to the formation of a new ocean.
Researchers found that in some parts of the rift, the crust has thinned to about 13 kilometres, compared to more than 35 kilometres in surrounding areas. This sharp difference shows the region has entered an advanced stage of continental breakup known as “necking.”
The study also offers a new explanation for why the Turkana region has such a rich record of early human fossils. Scientists believe the same geological activity that is breaking the land apart may have helped preserve ancient remains over time.
While the process is extremely slow and will take millions of years, researchers say the findings give a rare look at how continents split and how Earth continues to change beneath our feet.
