Africa is splitting in TWO, magnetic data reveals

"Africa is separating into two - and the split likely started tens of millions of years ago, according to a new study. By studying magnetic data, scientists at Keele University have discovered evidence of a geological separation starting between Africa and Arabia. These two landmasses were once connected like two pieces of a jigsaw, but a gradual separation event pulled them apart."

"And the separation is ripping through Africa from the north east to the south, like the zip on a jacket, accompanied by volcanism and seismic activity. By the time the split is complete, perhaps five to 10 million years from now, Africa will be made up of two landmasses. There will be the larger landmass in the west featuring most African countries, such as Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana and Nambia."

"The researchers point to the East African Rift, one of the great tectonic features of Africa, caused by fracturing of the Earth's crust. Around 4,000 miles long and averaging 30-40 miles wide, the system extends from Jordan in southwestern Asia southward through eastern Africa to Mozambique. It's thought that when Africa separates over millions of years, the gap will run down the length of this rift, splitting through the middle of enormous bodies of water in East Africa, such as Lake Malawi and Lake Turkana."

Africa is undergoing continental rifting that will eventually divide the continent into two landmasses. Magnetic data indicate the separation began tens of millions of years ago between Africa and Arabia. The rifting follows a northeast-to-south trajectory along the East African Rift, producing volcanism and seismic activity. Over the next five to ten million years the split may complete, leaving a larger western landmass (including Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana and Namibia) and a smaller eastern landmass (including Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and much of Ethiopia). The rift extends roughly 4,000 miles from Jordan to Mozambique and will cut through major lakes such as Malawi and Turkana.

Read at Mail Online