New Ocean May Form in Africa's Rift
Geologists have found that the Earth's crust in northern Kenya's Turkana Rift has thinned to about 13 kilometers, indicating a potential future separation of Africa and the formation of a new ocean over millions of years.
Consensus
- The Earth's crust in the Turkana Rift in northern Kenya has thinned to approximately 13 kilometers.
- The Turkana Rift is part of the East African Rift System.
- The thinning of the crust is a result of tectonic rifting that has been ongoing for millions of years.
- This process is considered a transitional stage toward possible continental breakup and ocean formation.
- The process occurs over geological timescales, measured in millions of years.
- The research was published in the journal Nature.
Points of divergence
- The crust is almost three times thinner at the center of the rift compared to the edges, with a thickness of about 13 kilometers at the thinnest point. — fontanka
- The crust thickness in the center of the rift is 12.7 kilometers, and the process is referred to as 'necking' or 'shear thinning'. — vesti
- The average spreading rate of the rift is approximately 1.2 and 0.55 millimeters per year. — vesti
- The Turkana Rift transitioned to the necking stage about 4 million years ago. — vesti
- The study includes a comparison to the Baikal Rift as a modern example of continental rifting. — vesti
- The research was conducted by scientists from St. Petersburg State University and the Institute of Physics of the Earth, RAS. — fontanka
- The study was conducted by an international group of geologists. — vesti
- There is no guarantee that the rift will form an ocean, as past rifting events have failed to reach that stage. — vesti
- The process is similar to the one that formed the Atlantic Ocean in the past. — fontanka
- The article includes a separate report about an archaeological discovery of a burial site in Kenya with evidence of minimal social inequality. — vesti
Coverage (2 sources)
- Scientists tell when Africa will crack — Фонтанка
- A new ocean is being born in northern Kenya — Вести