Geologists report that the East African Rift is exhibiting signs of accelerated continental separation, with the African landmass gradually fracturing along the boundary between the Nubian, Somali, and Arabian tectonic plates.
The development suggests that a new ocean may form in the region over the next five to ten million years.
Satellite radar and field studies indicate that the rift, which stretches more than 3,000 kilometres from the Red Sea to Mozambique, is producing both surface fissures and new oceanic crust beneath parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. Christopher Moore, a doctoral researcher at the University of Leeds, said, “This is the only place on Earth where you can study how a continental rift becomes an oceanic rift.”
Geophysicist Cynthia Ebinger, who has conducted extensive fieldwork in the Afar region, described the area as “both scientifically invaluable and brutally harsh,” noting that periods of apparent calm are often followed by sudden tectonic activity as magma forces its way through the crust. Ebinger told NBC News, “It’s like an overinflated balloon that eventually bursts.”
Historical observations corroborate the rapidity of some events: in 2005, a 35-mile-long crack opened in the Ethiopian desert within two weeks, replicating several centuries of plate movement.
According to Ken Macdonald, marine geophysicist and professor emeritus at the University of California, Santa Barbara, the Somali and Nubian plates are separating at rates of 0.2 to 0.5 inches per year, and oceanic crust is beginning to form along the rift.
The tectonic activity underpins regional volcanic and seismic events and is already being harnessed for geothermal energy.
However, experts warn that infrastructure, settlements, and agriculture across the rift are exposed to potential hazards from the ongoing geological transformation.
Scientists emphasise that while the complete formation of a new ocean will take millions of years, the current rate of rifting offers a rare opportunity to observe continental breakup in real time.
