 Breaking news. Africa is splitting into two large continents. What does this mean for the future? Welcome to Africa Reloaded, Africa's best destination on insight into development and the future of the African continent. It is conceivable to stand on the precise area where the continent is rupturing deep down in one of the planet's hotter regions in East Africa's afar region along a dry stretch. This barren region is located at the meeting point of three tectonic plates that are slowly drifting apart. This complex geological process, according to geologists, will eventually split Africa in half and form a new ocean base in millions of years from now. Right now, a 35-mile-long break in the Ethiopian desert is the most evident indication. Although the tectonic fate of the African continent has been studied for many years, new satellite data are providing important tools to examine the gradual emergence of a new ocean in one of the planet's most geologically unusual locations. Christopher Moore, a PhD doctoral student at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, has been using satellite radar to monitor volcanic activity in East Africa that is related to the continent's breakup. This is the only place on Earth where you can study how continental rift becomes an oceanic rift, said Moore. In today's episode, we will be looking at how Africa is splitting into two and the consequences it will have in the future. I am James your host, and you are watching Africa Reloaded. Take a chill pill and relax as we make this discovery. Please take a few seconds to subscribe to our channel as we ride on. Several observable geographic wonders in East Africa have drawn travelers to the region. These include the second deepest lake in the world, Lake Tanganyika of Tanzania, and the fourth largest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Malawi of Malawi. Additionally, it has active volcanoes like the Dalafila and Urta Ale in Ethiopia and the Old Duanio Lengai in Tanzania. The Urta Ale stands out as one of the most active volcanoes in the world, as well as one of just eight lava lakes that may be the oldest in existence. The Victoria Microplate, one of the biggest continental microplates, is among the wonders of the area even if it is hidden from tourists. The East African rift system is made up of a number of distinct features, including the Victoria Microplate, a rift branch that runs parallel to a series of deep lakes and volcanoes. According to a new study, the largest tectonic plate that makes up the majority of the African continent, the African plate, has been rotating clockwise with respect to the Victoria Microplate over the past two years, which is located between the eastern and western branches of the rift. It was discovered that this microplate rotated in the opposite direction from all of its nearby neighbors. While this provides fresh information about the East Africa rift system splitting process, the bi-shaped end of the rift in the Afar region is drawing greater attention because it is there that an ocean will likely form if the splits continue. Near Djibouti and Eritrea, the bi-shaped intersection where the African, Somalian, and Arabian tectonic plates converge is home to several active volcanoes, notably the Urda Ale volcano. Researchers believe that in the distant future, the creation of a new ocean may result in the division of Africa into two pieces. A new body of water may form as two significant portions of the continent, causing it to split apart. The East African gap, a 56 kilometer long gap that began to emerge in Ethiopia's deserts in 2005, signaled the formation of a new sea. While the Arabian plate keeps separating from the Somali and Nubian tectonic plates, they are steadily falling apart. The East African rift valley is a geologically active region whose formation millions of years ago is similar to the tectonic movements that occur at the bottom of oceans. According to a recent study published in the geophysical research letters journal, the continental rift will occur along this region. As a result, land locked nations like Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, and Zambia can unintentionally discover that they have a coastline and decide to construct harbors that directly connect them to the rest of the world. Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Kenya would each have two territories. However, that will require five to ten million people. The lithosphere will stretch and thin when it is subjected to a horizontal extensional force. It will eventually break, creating a valley known as a rift. Volcanism and seismic activity are surface manifestations of this process that can be seen along the rift valley. If successful, rifts, which are the first step of a continental breakup, can result in the formation of a new ocean basin. Although the formation of Africa's new ocean is predicted to take between five and ten million years, the Afar region's fortunate position at the intersection of the Nubian, Somali, and Arabian plates makes it a particularly interesting place to study complex tectonic processes. Twelve huge tectonic plates, which are rocky slabs with unusual shapes and are continually rubbing against, climbing over, sliding beneath, or stretching apart from one another, make up the earth's crust. The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden were formed between the two connected landmasses as a result of the Arabian plate's movement away from Africa for the past 30 million years. However, the Somali plate in eastern Africa is likewise separating from the Nubian plate and disintegrating throughout its length. According to a 2004 study, this rift system indicates that the African plate is breaking into two plates, the smaller Somalian plate, and the larger Nubian plate, which are pulling apart at a super slow snail's speed of millimeters per year. On a map of east Africa, you can see some of the historically active volcanoes, shown by red triangles, as well as how the Somalian and Nubian portions of the African plate separated along the east African rift zone. Many said that the news of a crack appearing in Kenya in 2018 was proof that Africa was splitting apart right before our eyes. Even if this shocking event was connected to the ears, it's a little misleading to use it as living proof of Africa's vast division. Even though change may often seem practically imperceptible to us, the earth is a planet that is always undergoing change. A good illustration of this is plate tectonics, but occasionally something remarkable occurs that raises new concerns about the possibility of the African continent separating in two. Creating a new shoreline is unquestionably exciting, but there will be some serious consequences as well. People will need to be evacuated, and there is a chance that lives could be lost as a result of this natural occurrence. The creation of new beaches will, however, open up a wealth of chances for economic development. These nations will have access to new trade ports, fishing areas, and undersea internet infrastructure, all of which will surely change the economic possibilities of these nations. A smaller continent, including the present-day Somalia and portions of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, will be formed from the rift as the Somali and Nubian tectonic plates continue to separate from one another. According to Ken McDonald, a marine geophysicist at the University of California, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea would eventually flow into the afar area of Ethiopia and the East African Rift Valley, resulting in the construction of a new ocean. East Africa will split off into a separate little continent with distinct geographic and ecological traits as a result of this new ocean. The speeds at which the three plates, the Arabian plate, Somalian African plate, and Nubian African plate are separating vary. According to McDonald, the two African plates are separating even more slowly between half an inch and 0.2 inches per year than the Arabian plate, which is displacing Africa at a rate of approximately an inch per year. The world as we know it has only recently appeared. The continents of Eurasia, the Americas, Africa, Antarctica, and Oceania that we can see today are the result of enormous tectonic plates that fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. On a timescale of millions of years, however, these puzzle parts move around very slowly. Just consider the separation of South America and Africa 138 million years ago, which occurred over the Earth's history. The east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa fit together like two jigsaw puzzle pieces, eloquently demonstrating how these continents were once united as one. East Africa's exit will merely add another chapter to this enormous geological novel. It doesn't seem very hopeful that humans will be around to witness any of these changes, but who knows. Thanks for watching. If you were able to learn something new from this video, do not hesitate to like, share, and subscribe to Africa Reloaded for more. Also tell us what you think in the comment section below. Remember to turn on the notification icon to get alerts of new videos.