Scientists have revealed that the rift discovered in Africa is spreading at twice the speed previously predicted.
The 35-mile-wide rift, first discovered in the deserts of Ethiopia in 2005, is growing at a rate of half an inch per year. This growth rate is double that of the speed at which fingernails grow.
Previously, researchers believed this rift would eventually divide the continent into two parts, a process that would take millions of years. However, recent studies suggest this process may be completed in 1 to 5 million years.
Africa’s tectonic plates, which have already collided to form large mountains and basins, now appear to be splitting the continent in two.
Professor Ken McDonald from the University of California stated that this division could lead to the waters of the Indian Ocean entering the Eastern African Rift Valley.
Professor McDonald further explained that this split could create a new sea and a small continent, which could be called the “New Nubian Continent.”
