3 220km Crack along Southeastern Africa widening by one inch every year

AFRICA – A 3 220km long crack appeared along the deserts of Ethiopia in 2005 whilst spreading through the southeastern part of Africa, is widening at a rate of one inch per year. It is a result of two tectonic plates moving away from each other, but the exact mechanism was not fully understood at the time. Now, a study published in June 2023 found that a massive ejection of super-heated rock coming up from our planet’s core is driving the new rift.

A massive rift is ripping through the southeastern region of Africa that scientists have long predicted that will split in two, forming a new continent with Somalia and half of Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. A new study found that the gash, known as the East African Rift System, is being driven by a massive plume of super-heated rock from our planet’s core, causing deformations beneath the feature.