Africa's crust tearing apart: Turkana Rift thinning rapidly, new ocean may be forming

Africa's crust is literally tearing apart, with a new study revealing that a key section of the East African Rift System is thinning much faster than previously understood. The Turkana Rift, a 500-kilometer segment of the larger system stretching from Ethiopia to Mozambique, shows dramatic crustal thinning. Scientists analyzing high-resolution seismic data found the crust has reduced to a mere 13 kilometers in thickness at its center, compared to over 35 kilometers outside the rift zone.

This advanced stage of tectonic separation is driven by the African and Somali plates pulling away from each other at approximately 4.7 millimeters per year. As the crust stretches, it cracks and sinks, allowing magma from the Earth's interior to surface and fuel volcanic activity. Researchers liken the process to stretching a soft material, which weakens it and facilitates further separation.

While the process is geologically rapid, it remains incredibly slow from a human perspective. The Turkana Rift began forming about 45 million years ago, and scientists estimate it will take millions more years to reach the stage where new oceanic crust forms and seawater could inundate the area. The findings also shed light on the region's rich fossil record, suggesting that crustal thinning and volcanic activity millions of years ago created ideal conditions for preserving early human fossils.

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We found that the rifting in this zone is more advanced and the crust is thinner than anyone had previously realized.