Ever looked at a map and thought, “What if Africa just… split in half?”
Well, geologists say it’s not just a wild thought – it’s kind of happening. Slowly. Very slowly. But still, it’s happening.
Over on the continent’s eastern side, the ground is cracking, stretching, and—on a bad day—swallowing houses.
All thanks to the East African Rift (EAR), a colossal, 4,000-mile-long fault line tearing through Ethiopia, Kenya, and beyond.
Earth Plates Are Drifting Apart
It’s like the Earth’s version of a relationship breakup – except the plates are drifting apart at about the speed your fingernails grow.
A few years back, a giant crack appeared overnight in Kenya, cutting through roads and homes like the Earth itself had had enough.
Scientists traced it back to the Nubian and Somalian tectonic plates, which are slowly ghosting each other – and their neighbor, the Arabian plate.
We could flood a whole new ocean into the gap if they keep drifting.
Don’t hold your breath, though – experts like Chris Moore from Leeds University reckon it’ll take about 50 million years.
