New Ocean in the Making

"Fissure, you got big!"

Scientists studying the Dabbahu region in Ethiopia have researching a fissure that formed since September. The fissure is expected to eventually become, after a million of years, a new ocean.

"The crust under Afar is becoming like the crust found in the Red Sea," said one scientist. "Once the crust is formed you will have water because it is a low area and the water will migrate from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It becomes a basin."

The new ocean would eventually grow bigger and cause the Horn of Africa to spilt off from the rest of Africa. It would also create a sort of natural canal from the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea.

Our constantly active world is fascinating.

(Hat Tip: Un Lobo En Peru)

Category: Physical Geography