Movements of three tectonic plates next to the Afar slit are causing rhythmic pulsations that will give rise to a new oceanic basin in eastern Africa. But so soon there will be no new paradise beaches on the African continent-which will take a few million years to split.
In previous studies, geologists had already determined that, in just 5 million years, the African continent is literally split.
According to these predictions, Somalia, half of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and part of Mozambique will separategiving rise to.
In a new study, scientists have now concluded that rhythmic pulsations In the depths of East Africa, far from the sea, they are literally tearing the African continent – and although the effects do not reach the surface for a while, The end result will be an oceanic basin completely new over.
The international team of investigators came to this conclusion after analyzing More than 130 volcano samples Young people located in a rare geological region below Ethiopia.
The results of yours were presented in an article published this Wednesday in the magazine Nature Geoscience.
A zona of trimin northern Ethiopia, it is one of the few examples in the land where Three tectonic cracks converge. Scientists theorized before this junction of the main ethiopian slits, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aeden contained a active and hot cloak rise cast.
If so, this area – often known – would show clear effects on the tectonic plates above it.
Typically slit zones stretch and pull the tectonic plates until eventually they break. But how does the feather below Afar is structured, how it behaves and how it is influenced the crust above it Mysteries remained.
To investigate them, a team led by the Geoscientist Emma Wattsfrom the University of Swansea, traveled to Ethiopia, where he collected more than 130 rock samples from the AFAR region and the Ethiopian main slit.
Researchers then combined sample analysis with existing data inAdvanced Statistical Odelation to explore the dynamics of the crust and cloak of the area. As they suspected, the feather of the cloak of AFAR Not uniform Nor Static: She pulsates.
“Pulsa, and these pulsations carry distinct chemical signatures“Watts says at the University of Southgampton.“ These ascending pulsations of partially cast cloak are channeled by the above opening plates. This is important to how we think about the interaction between the earth and its surface. ”
Tom Gernon, Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Southampton and Co -author of the study, compared this chemical pattern to a heartbeat.
“These pulsations seem to behave differently Depending on the thickness of the plate and the speed with which it is separating, ”he added.“ In faster expansion cracks like the Red Sea, pulsations travel more efficiently and regularly, like a pulse through a narrow artery.”
The team also confirmed that the ascending currents of the deep cloak are closely linked to the movement of tectonic plates.
According to the Earth scientist and co -author of the study Derek keirThese findings have “deep implications” for geologists to better understand surface volcanism, earthquakes and continental runs.
So the earth will even see a new ocean basin born, but scientists can’t right now determine when it will happen – attachments that we don’t need to worry too much about it.
“In terms of temporal scales, it is difficult to give you an exact number, since the opening rates can change, therefore, to be honest, We cannot know For sure, ”explains Watts to.
“One thing we know is thatwill of the order of millions of years“, Details the geoscientist.” We hope that our next work will approach some probabilistic estimates. “
