Africa is gradually splitting into two large landmasses. The process is slow, likely taking millions of years, but the eastern part of the continent is slowly drifting away. In the end, a new sea could form between the two emerging coastlines, reshaping the map of Africa.
The vast rift system here ranks among the world’s most significant. It stretches across countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique.
Geologists describe the phenomenon as the African plate dividing into two subplates: the smaller Somali plate and the larger Nubian plate. Research from 2004 suggests this separation progresses at only a few centimeters per year, a measured, ongoing shift rather than a dramatic instant break.
The eventual outcome is imagined as a broad, evolving feature that may resemble a long island or a newly formed maritime corridor off the Horn of Africa as the landmasses diverge.
In 2018 a dramatic crack appeared in Kenya
On March 18, 2018, residents in a southeastern Kenyan town witnessed a startling geological event. The ground opened up, creating a long crack several kilometers in length and about twenty meters deep. The event left an impression on the local community that had never been seen before, a stark reminder of the dynamic nature of Earth’s crust.
This sudden fissure connected with the broader East African Rift system and provided a live demonstration of ongoing fracturing in this region.
Experts note that the eastern branch of the Rift Valley, crossing Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, has been active as the landscape evolves. A prominent geologist from the Royal Holloway College dynamics fault research group described how a major crack formed in southwestern Kenya, signaling active change along the rift. This cleavage offers a rare real-time window into the stages of crustal breakage and separation.
Scholars point to a long arc of development beginning about 30 million years ago in the Afar region of northern Ethiopia. Since then, the rift has moved southward, advancing steadily at a rate of roughly 2.5 to 5 centimeters per year, reshaping the geology of the continent over geological time scales.
Today, the lithosphere in the Afar region stands at a near breaking point, underscoring how close the crust is to a new ocean forming. Observations indicate that when fracturing continues, a new ocean could begin to emerge, and over tens of millions of years, seabed progression might accompany the widening crack. The consequence would be a shrinking African mainland and the potential emergence of a substantial island in the Indian Ocean that includes parts of Ethiopia and Somalia in the Horn of Africa, signifying a profound geographical shift.
These processes are ongoing, with researchers continuing to monitor crustal activity and model long-term outcomes for the region.
…
Note: for further context, see ongoing research on East African tectonics and Rift Valley dynamics as reported by geoscience institutions.