This phenomenon takes place in East Africa, more precisely in the Afar region in Ethiopia. In this territory where the heat reaches vertiginous peaks and where the rain is exceptional, the earth is transformed high speed. The earth’s crust fractures, and gradually gives birth to a new ocean. This process, which usually takes place over millions of years, is visible here on a human time scale. It may be the only time in our life where we will see the tectonic forces act so quickly.
The Afar triangle: an exceptional geological zone
30 million years ago, the first cracks appeared in the East African earth’s crust. At this location, the Afar is a triple point, a rare geological configuration where three immense tectonic plates meet : The Somali plate, separated from the African plate approximately 25 million years ago, during the formation of the great African rift. The Nubian plate, covering most of the African continent, with the exception of the Horn of Africa. And finally, the Somali plaque that extends over the following countries: Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and part of Kenya.
This unique provision creates an area of weakness in the earth’s crust; The plates moving away from each other; starting point for the formation of a new ocean. The video below explains the separation process perfectly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krc4juwgazq
The oceanization process follows several distinct stages. First, the continental crust, 30 to 40 km thick, Stretches and thinks under the effect of tectonic forces. Deep flaws are formed, allowing the magma to go up mantle depths. This magma, in cooling, forms a new, denser and thinner crust with properties similar to those of ocean funds.
A new ocean in training
The Arabic plate, in its movement towards the northeast, deviates from the African continent at a speed of 2.5 cm per year-the equivalent of the growth of a human nail. Simultaneously, the Nubian and Somali plates perform a slow separation, each moving away from 5 mm annually. This speed difference generates colossal tensions in the earth’s crust.
This millennial process was turned upside down in 2005: in the space of a few days, A seismic sequence of 420 earthquakes has torn the earth’s crustgenerating a gigantic flaw 60 km long.
This rupture, which today dives 10 meters deep, continues its progression. Geologists observe an amazing geological phenomenon: progressive transformation From the continental crust to oceanic crustprocess usually hidden under kilometers of water and sediment.
In December 2023, a published publication in the journal Technophyscics has shown that The phenomenon accelerated. The oceanic accretion zone in formation presents all the signs of an emerging backbone: magmatic lifts, crustal thinning and installation of basalt rocks typical of ocean funds.
According to Cynthia Ebinger, study co-author, in less than a million years-an air blinking at the geological scale- The Eaux de la Mer Rouge will rush into this continental breachcreating a new maritime connection with the Gulf of Aden.
The prefers researcher specify the nature of this new expanse of water : ” En done, it will not be exactly a new ocean, even if we commonly call it so. Visualize it as an expansion of the Red Sea ». Indeed, a real ocean has its own watersheds, that is to say the territories drained by the rivers which are throwing in this ocean. Here, it will rather be an extension of the watersheds of the Red Sea.
But this distinction is purely semantic: it will be indeed The birth of a new expanse of salt water. Which could be more accelerated in the event of volcanic activity or earthquakes as was the case in 2005. The region is, moreover, very conducive to this type of phenomenon: eruptions and earthquakes are extremely frequent, what could Facilitate more the entrance to the water from the Red Sea in the area in training.
- A huge flaw in East Africa is growing quickly, announcing the future training of a water extent that will separate part of the continent.
- This tectonic phenomenon, normally very slow, accelerated due to earthquakes in 2005, gradually transforming the earth’s crust.
- In less than a million years, the Red Sea will infiltrate this fracture, creating a new inner sea which will redraw the geography of the region.
