An Enormous Crack Just Opened Up In Africa, Evidence Africa Is Literally Splitting In Two

[Judi Lynn]

APR 2, 2018 @ 11:01 AM
Trevor Nace , CONTRIBUTOR



Adapted from Google Earth
Approximate location of the East African Rift running along the eastern corridor of Africa.

A massive crack suddenly appeared in Kenya, prompting new discussion on the breakup of Africa into two land masses. The crack continues to grow in size as heavy rainfall in Kenya's Narok County exacerbates the kilometer-sized chasm.

The sudden appearance of the crack is related to a regional zone of weakness and broadly associated with the continued breakup of the African continent. The leading hypothesis behind the breakup of the African continent is caused by an underlying superheated plume. This plume is causing Africa to split in two along the eastern edge of the continent. Thankfully, the rifting process will take many millions of years as the crust begins to thin and sink and a small seaway begins to intrude the rift zone.

Splitting a continent in two is quite common, for instance, it led to the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Notice how Africa and South America would fit perfectly together, this is because they were once one landmass, eventually sutured apart by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. While scientists have known for quite some time about the rifting in Africa, the underlying cause has been hard to pin down. Evidence suggests it is due to a superplume upwelling along the eastern edge of Africa, figuratively "burning" a hole in Earth's crust.

More:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2018/04/02/an-enormous-crack-just-opened-up-in-africa-evidence-africa-is-literally-splitting-in-two/#3528f50b3941

[Takket]

1. Is this essentially a new tectonic boundary forming?

[Kaleva]

3. Yes

"Today, the term is most often used to refer to the valley of the East African Rift, the divergent plate boundary which extends from the Afar Triple Junction southward across eastern Africa, and is in the process of splitting the African Plate into two new separate plates. Geologists generally refer to these incipient plates as the Nubian Plate and the Somali Plate."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Rift_Valley

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. The rifting is well know. The news is the putative cause: a "superplume" of magma. . . nt

[KY_EnviroGuy]

5. Potential for another Yellowstone? n/t

........

[KY_EnviroGuy]

4. As usual, contradictory opinions...

Article: Geologists dismiss report that Kenya is splitting into two
See: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001274018/geologists-kenya-is-not-splitting
(snip)
The Geologist Society of Kenya (GSK) has now dismissed allegations that the country could be split into two following the emergence of fault lines in Mai Mahiu Naivasha. The organization has pointed to the current situation in sections of Mai Mahiu-Narok road to volcanic activity which had been worsened by the ongoing rains.

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Same source, but this supports the prevailing view!
Article: Alarm as Suswa crevasses re-appear after two weeks (photos)
See: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001273849/is-suswa-crack-a-sign-of-things-to-come-in-the-rift-valley-photos
(snip)
At the intersection, the busy Mai Mahiu-Narok road was damaged after fault line cut off the road on Tuesday, March 13, 2018 On Monday the road collapsed again, forcing the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to embark on an emergency restoration of the section using rock fill.

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[SergeStorms]

6. The Earth's crust is always moving.

The tectonic plates are never still. It may be an infinitesimal amount, but they're always moving. Mount Everest continues to increase in height every year. Last years climbers reached a summit that is a little less than a centimeter lower than this year's summit. Not that it makes much of a difference, but over 50 years time.......

We live on a fascinating planet. Too bad we're destroying it. Humans are bound to be extinct relatively soon (in my opinion), geographically speaking. The oldest rocks ever found on earth date back around 4.3 billion years. Humans have been on the planet for a split second in relation to it's age, but we sure have had a deleterious effect on it.