A new ocean is forming in East Africa

Rhythmic pulsing deep beneath landlocked east Africa is literally tearing the continent apart. But while the effects won’t arrive on the planet’s surface for a while, the end result is an entirely new ocean basin above it. An international research team reached their conclusion after analyzing more than 130 samples from young volcanoes located across a rare geological region below Ethiopia. The evidence is laid out in a study published on June 25 in the journal Nature Geoscience.

The Afar Rift zone is one of the few examples on Earth where three tectonic rifts converge. Experts previously theorized this juncture of the Main Ethiopian, Red Sea, and Gulf of Aden Rifts contained an active, hot upwelling of molten mantle. If true, this area—often known as a plume—would display clear effects on the tectonic plates above it. Rift zones typically stretch and pull tectonic plates until they eventually rupture. But how the plume beneath Afar’s is structured, how it behaves, and how it is influencing the crust above it have remained mysteries.

To investigate, a 10-institution team led by Swansea University geoscientist Emma Watts traveled to Ethiopia where they collected over 130 rock samples from both the Afar region and the Main Ethiopian Rift. Researchers then combined sample analysis with existing data and advanced statistical modeling to explore the area’s crust and mantle dynamics. As suspected, the Afar mantle plume isn’t uniform or static.