New ocean forming in Africa

[Random Encounter]

New ocean 'will split Africa'
Updated 5 hours 33 minutes ago

British scientists say a new ocean is developing in Africa that will eventually split the continent in two.

In 2005, a 60-kilometre-long crack opened up in the Afar region of Ethiopia.

In 10 days it reached a width of eight metres and has been expanding ever since.

A University of Bristol seismologist working in the Afar region, James Hammond, says the split will happen over about 10 million years.

"Parts of Afar are below sea level and the ocean, the sea is only cut off by about a 20-metre block of land in Eritrea," he said.

"Eventually this will rift apart, the sea will flood in and will start to create a new ocean, and eventually the Somalia plate will drift off and we'll have a smaller Africa and a very big island which floats out into the Indian Ocean."

- BBC

Sounds facinating.

[Name Lips]

"Parts of Afar are below sea level and the ocean, the sea is only cut off by about a 20-metre block of land in Eritrea,"
Somebody out there has to be thinking the same thing I'm thinking, is much crazier than I am, and have a bunch of dynamite.

[The Winslow]

Some maps:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afar_Depression

[Harry]

This is just nature's way of dealing with Somalia.

[Random Encounter]

This is just nature's way of dealing with Somalia.

By giving the pirates more ocean to work with and an island lair to launch attacks from?

[Northcott]

Somebody out there has to be thinking the same thing I'm thinking, is much crazier than I am, and have a bunch of dynamite.

I know it's exactly what I was thinking! (And I'm crazier than you. I do not, however, have a bunch of DY-NO-MITE... more's the pity.)

[Schizm]

I'm just wondering why this is a news blurb... the east african rift vally system has been a known thing for geologists for a few decades - ever since the theory of plate tectonics was widely accepted.

Oddly, RE, you live right above a rift vally yourself - just one that never spread far enough to break open into an ocean. All down the Rio Grande, there was massive spreading for millions of years that just... stopped, about five thousand years ago.

Crazy shit, that plate tectonics!

[DarwinOfMind]

Yeah that's what I was like about, um this is news? it's been spreading for approx 1 million years and won't really make a big difference for another million.

That's like the opposite of news



Although it's still cool, I just happened to have already known about it.

[Aloysius]

Well, a really big quake could break this "20-metre block of land in Eritrea". It can happen any-time. However, it would just create a very small inner sea in the Afars.

[AZRogue]

Sounds facinating.

Just float off, huh? Hopefully, it doesn't tip over. ;)

I know it's exactly what I was thinking! (And I'm crazier than you. I do not, however, have a bunch of DY-NO-MITE... more's the pity.)

I do. :D

[Ancalagon]

I'm just wondering why this is a news blurb... the east african rift vally system has been a known thing for geologists for a few decades - ever since the theory of plate tectonics was widely accepted.


Indeed. Now is this block 20 metres, or 20 km?

[Aloysius]

I think 20 km is more likely (alas ?)... 20 m ? That would break/be submersed at the least storm/quake/dynamite.