Africa Is Breaking Apart and a New Ocean Is Forming

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]Africa is splitting in two.

[00:00:02]Here's how it's happening.

[00:00:03]Millions of years ago, the Earth's appearance was completely different from today.

[00:00:09]The continents we know now were once joined together, forming a massive supercontinent called Pangaea. So, how did it split apart?

[00:00:18]Why is this phenomenon still happening today?

[00:00:22]Fact, Africa sits on top of two major tectonic plates.

[00:00:26]The African Plate and the Somali Plate are slowly separating.

[00:00:31]Over time, this will lead to significant geological changes.

[00:00:36]So, which areas will be affected? How long will it take?

[00:00:40]This split is known as the East African Rift. It stretches over 60 km, Ethiopia all the way to Mozambique.

[00:00:48]In Ethiopia's Afar region, a massive crack has already appeared, so large that it can even be seen from space.

[00:00:57]Although the rift expands only about 7 mm each year, its long-term impact is significant. Scientists estimate that in about 100,000 years, this rift will widen enough to form a new ocean, separating East Africa from the rest of the African continent.