Africa 'witnessing birth of a new ocean'

[Babur]

Interesting news if it is true, but I am skeptical since it is too early to say.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Africa 'witnessing birth of a new ocean'

By Matt McGrath
BBC News Science reporter



A 60km crack opened in Ethiopia in 2005 and has been expanding ever since
Africa is witnessing the birth of a new ocean, according to scientists at the Royal Society.

Geologists working in the remote Afar region of Ethiopia say the ocean will eventually split the African continent in two, though it will take about 10 million years.

Lead researcher Tim Wright who is presenting the research at the Royal Society's Summer Exhibition, described the events as "truly incredible".

Used to understanding changes in the planet on timescales of millions of years, the international team of scientists including Dr Wright have seen amazing changes in Afar in the past five years, where the continent is cracking open, quite literally underneath their feet.


In 2005, a 60km long stretch of the earth opened up to a width of eight metres over a period of just ten days.

Hot, molten rock from deep within the Earth is trickling to the surface and creating the split.

Underground eruptions are still continuing and, ultimately, the horn of Africa will fall away and a new ocean will form.

'A smaller Africa'

Dr James Hammond, a seismologist from the University of Bristol - who has been working in Afar - says that parts of the region are below sea level and the ocean is only cut off by about a 20-metre block of land in Eritrea.

"Eventually this will drift apart," he told the BBC World Service. "The sea will flood in and will start to create this new ocean.

"It will pull apart, sink down deeper and deeper and eventually... parts of southern Ethiopia, Somalia will drift off, create a new island, and we'll have a smaller Africa and a very big island that floats out into the Indian Ocean."

The researchers say that they are extremely lucky to be able to witness the birth of this ocean as the process is normally hidden beneath the seas.

The team hope to conduct experiments in the area that will help understand how the surface of the Earth is shaped.

They believe that the information they glean from observing the shaping of the Earth will help scientists better understand natural hazards such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_a...t/10415877.stm

[Sensei Kiisu]

Wow that's truly amazing! Shame we'll probably never see the sea fill the gap in our lifetime... that would be an incredible sight.. :/

I'll not give up though and sit right on the edge with my popcorn

[Helm]

Shame we'll probably never see the sea fill the gap in our lifetime... that would be an incredible sight.. :/

You're probably not going to live for 10 million years?

[DekuTrash]

Wow that's truly amazing! Shame we'll probably probably never see the sea fill the gap in our lifetime... that would be an incredible sight.. :/

[Sensei Kiisu]

You never know! Eat your greens and all that :')

[Jagdpanzer]

Old news. I read a similar article more than ten years ago.

EDIT: I just went through a large pile of old magazines and the article was from 1991.

but I am skeptical since it is too early to say.

So what do you want to do. Hang around for ten million years to see if it's true?

[Captain Jin]

Old news. I read a similar article more than ten years ago.

Oh, that's interesting you read about the story ten years ago even though the rift formed in 2005? Hmm, by my math calculations that was just five years ago.

[hellheaven1987]

Allah's final solution dealing Somalia pirates??

[Adar]

Allah's final solution dealing Somalia pirates??

Increasing the available coast line?

[Jagdpanzer]

Oh, that's interesting you read about the story ten years ago even though the rift formed in 2005? Hmm, by my math calculations that was just five years ago.

No, the article predicted the formation of the rift. Geologists are able to predict such geographical changes.

[Babur]

Wow that's truly amazing! Shame we'll probably never see the sea fill the gap in our lifetime... that would be an incredible sight.. :/

I'll not give up though and sit right on the edge with my popcorn

someone should put a webcam there

Oh, that's interesting you read about the story ten years ago even though the rift formed in 2005? Hmm, by my math calculations that was just five years ago.

Old news. I read a similar article more than ten years ago.

well this will be old news by the time the ocean is formed "supposedly"

So what do you want to do. Hang around for ten million years to see if it's true?

ideally

but seriously, let's see what happens

Allah's final solution dealing Somalia pirates??

Yep, so everyone wins (except for the pirates )

No, the article predicted the formation of the rift. Geologists are able to predict such geographical changes.

ah cool well what shall we call it then

What most interests me are the ecological/microevolutionary possibilities. What species will not be able to make it? What new species will arise?

ideally something which could deal with those pirates

If human still exist most species would not make it even before that occean form.

yeah it would take millions of years

Increasing the available coast line?

increased tourist potential?

It's not the first time that a part of Africa breaks off. Madagascar broke off 175 million years ago. As a result many species found on Madagascar are endemic.

so what should it be called then?

[removeduser_4536284751384]

Oh, that's interesting you read about the story ten years ago even though the rift formed in 2005? Hmm, by my math calculations that was just five years ago.

the rift valley has been known tectonically since the 1800s

it's not just this crack. It's a huge valley thousands of km long stretching from Egypt to Tanzania.

He probably did hear it 10 years ago. I thought it was common knowledge

[chamaeleo]

the rift valley has been known tectonically since the 1800s

You meant geographically...Alfred Wegener died 30 years prior to vindication (in the 1960s) for his Continental drift theory, hell, some of my profs graduated college having been taught peneplain theory. Plate Tectonics may seem obvious to us (Hello? Preschooler models PANGAEA using construction paper?!?), but final acceptance was the culmination of a tooth n claw fight spanning decades.

How would part of Africa becoming an island result in new species? I mean except for the climate I don't see what would change and even the climate probably wouldn't change drastically unless the new island would drift away really far.

Formerly contiguous populations, when isolated by new geographic boundaries, tend to speciate for a variety of reasons. Such as the "island effect": dwarf varieties of large species (mini-elephants in Sicily), or gigantic varieties of small species (monitor -> komodo dragon) emerge in response to new pressures and opportunities. Pretty cool stuff.

[Copperknickers II]

Old news. I read a similar article more than ten years ago.

Exactly. The great rift valley was the cradle of the first humans ever to evolve, this has been going on before we invented fire, and it will be continuing long after we have fired our nuclear bombs and gone extinct.

[Maron]

What most interests me are the ecological/microevolutionary possibilities. What species will not be able to make it? What new species will arise?

[hellheaven1987]

What most interests me are the ecological/microevolutionary possibilities. What species will not be able to make it? What new species will arise?

If human still exist most species would not make it even before that occean form.

[Maron]

If human still exist most species would not make it even before that occean form.

Sadly, I agree with you. We need to get our population in check. From a purely selfish standpoint, sure the human race can continue on at its current rate for a while, but if we are to conserve most other species, we are going to have to stop exponential growth of population.

[Gaidin]

If human still exist most species would not make it even before that occean form.

There's no reason humans won't exist. Just probably not in their current stage in evolution.

[Phier]

If human still exist most species would not make it even before that occean form.

Not true at all. We are only looking at the very short time span of our current existence. In ten million years much will be unrecognizable to us today, including most likely ourselves. Humans are a stress on the environment in a lot of ways, and if anything this will accelerate evolution, not prevent it.

[Jagdpanzer]

What most interests me are the ecological/microevolutionary possibilities. What species will not be able to make it? What new species will arise?

It's not the first time that a part of Africa breaks off. Madagascar broke off 175 65 million years ago. As a result many species found on Madagascar are endemic.

EDIT: Africa broke off from Gondwana 175 mi years ago. Madagascar broke off from Africa 65 mi years ago.