A slow drift is quietly splitting Africa into two vast blocks. Over millions of years, eastern Africa is projected to pull away from the rest of the continent, potentially creating a new sea along the separating landmasses.
This immense crack system ranks among the world’s major rifts and extends through regions including Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique.
Geologists describe the process as the African plate breaking into two subplates: the smaller Somali plate and the larger Nubian plate. A 2004 study noted that their separation occurs at a very slow pace, only a few centimeters each year.
area of separation
The outcome is often pictured as the Horn of Africa gradually detaching from the main continent, forming a long, island-like feature as the rift continues to evolve.
In 2018, a dramatic crack appeared
On March 18, 2018, villagers in a southeastern Kenyan town witnessed a startling geological event as the ground opened beneath them, creating a crack several kilometers long and about twenty meters deep. The spectacle was unlike anything they had previously seen.
Cross section of the crack that appeared in Kenya in 2018
This event was linked to the East African Rift system and offered a live glimpse into how such fractures develop over time.
Experts note that the eastern branch of the Rift Valley passing through Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania began to form when a large crack suddenly opened in southwestern Kenya. The phenomenon provides a rare, real-time window into fracturing processes on a planetary scale.
Researchers emphasize that the observed cleavage is extraordinary because it allows scientists to study multiple stages of rift formation directly. The most significant phase began roughly 30 million years ago in the Afar region of northern Ethiopia and has since progressed southward toward Zimbabwe, averaging between 2.5 and 5 centimeters per year.
Panel showing the Rift Valley
Present conditions in Afar show the earth’s lithosphere approaching a breaking point, with ongoing shifts shaping the landscape. As science suggests, continued activity along these faults could eventually lead to the creation of a new ocean as the crack widens and the seabed migrates along its length in tens of millions of years. The long-term effect would be a smaller African continent, or a large island in the Indian Ocean comprising parts of Ethiopia and Somalia, including the Horn of Africa.
With ongoing monitoring, researchers hope to map the stages of fracture more precisely. This evolving scenario makes Africa a living laboratory for studying plate tectonics in action.
Notes on sources indicate that the East African Rift system remains a major focus for modern geology, with multiple teams contributing observations and interpretations. These findings continue to be refined as new data emerge from field studies and satellite measurements. Holloway College.