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Geologists have discovered that the fault in the East African Rift Valley is developing at a faster pace than previously thought, Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports with reference to the Daily Mail.
The 56,5km rift that opened in the Ethiopian desert in 2005 is growing by about 1,5cm each year. Professor Ken Macdonald of the University of California says a complete breakup of the continent could occur within one to five million years. At the same time, scientists previously predicted that this process would drag on for tens of millions of years.
The consequences of this geological process can be widespread. According to scientists, the East African Rift Valley may be flooded by the waters of the Indian Ocean. Moreover, as a result of the split, a new continent may be formed - the “Nubian continent”, which will include the territories of Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania and parts of Ethiopia.
It is interesting to note that the new ocean that will form as a result of the breakup will potentially be comparable in depth to the Atlantic. Despite the apparent slowness of the process, the scale of the changes taking place is impressive.