A recent study on the East African Rift Valley (EARS) has generated interest among the scientific community due to its possible long-term geological implications, which indicate, could generate a new ocean on the planet, the sixth.
This valley, which is a vast fracture in the Earth's crust that runs through multiple African countries, has been the subject of research for decades for its uniqueness and its potential to provide crucial information about the geological evolution of the Earth.
Researchers have observed that the Rift Valley presents a geological behavior distinctive compared to other continental faults. Unlike conventional cracks, where deformations are usually predominantly perpendicular to the movement of the tectonic plates, in the case of EARS deformations parallel to the crack are also observed.
This phenomenon has baffled scientists for years, but recent research has shed light on its possible causes and consequences.
In addition to the long-term geological implications, the Rift Valley has proven to have immediate impacts on human infrastructure. In 2018, the appearance of a fracture on the road that connects the town of Mai Mahiu in Kenya with Suswain the southeast of the country, served as a tangible reminder of the active geological dynamics in the region.
The need to evacuate residents and transportation disruptions highlighted the importance of understanding and closely monitoring geological phenomena in areas of high seismic and tectonic activity.
Scientists predict continental separation
A team of scientists from Virginia Polytechnic Institute has used advanced technologies, such as GPS and 3D modeling, to investigate the inner workings of the Valley. Their findings, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, suggest that a phenomenon known as the African superfeather could be contributing to the anomalous deformations observed in the region.
It is believed that this superplume, which involves the rise of hot mantle from deep within the Earth, could be generating forces that contribute to the expansion of the Rift Valley and, eventually, the formation of a new ocean.
Furthermore, recent studies have confirmed that lithospheric buoyancy forces, responsible for deformations perpendicular to the rift, are also driving the continental separation process.
These findings represent a significant advance in our understanding of the geological processes that shape our planet and underline the importance of continuing to investigate geological phenomena such as the Rift Valley to anticipate and better understand long-term geological changes.
#gigantic #geological #fault #split #Earth #create #sixth #ocean #Scientists #study
