(ORDO NEWS) — A huge crack in the ground appeared in 2018 in southwestern Kenya, and it may be the first sign that Africa will eventually split into two continents. At least, this version exists among some scientists.
According to the Daily Outlet, a local source, the crack in some places reaches a depth of about 15 meters and a width of 20 meters. Its length is several kilometers. It appeared in 2018 in the East African Rift Valley, which runs from the Horn of Africa to Mozambique. And there are many weaknesses in this valley.
They are caused by the movement of the earth’s crust, and in such places cracks and breaks occur. According to a local article, such fissures are usually filled with volcanic dust from Mount Longonot, located nearby, but a recent rainstorm has eroded the entire layer, and now the fissure has opened.
National Geographic notes that the gaps in this area are becoming more massive as the two tectonic plates, the Somali and Nubian, move away from each other.
Over time, they can disperse completely, but this will happen somewhere within 50 million years. Such ruptures may indicate the beginning of a continental fault and the beginning of the formation of a new oceanic basin. This process is similar to the rift that created Africa and South America.
But not everyone is convinced of such a radical theory. Forbes notes that there was no evidence of recent earthquakes in this area.
The Geological Survey of Kenya believes that the crack was formed due to an underground flow caused by heavy rainfall that fell after a long drought and caused soil erosion. True, why the crack is such a big service does not specify.
Whatever the reason, this phenomenon caused a lot of worries to the locals. Part of the highway collapsed due to the crack, and families living nearby had to evacuate.
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