New Ocean Being Formed in Enormous Rift in Africa
In 2005, a 37-mile-long, 26-foot-wide crack opened up in Afar, Ethiopia, over the course of ten days. Turns out, it's a brand-new ocean. You just have to wait about 10 million years.
Geologists are seriously nerded out over the crack, which was created by underground eruptions. Why? Because it means the beginning of the end for the horn of Africa as the horn of Africa:
"Eventually this will drift apart," [seismologist Dr. James Hammond] told the BBC World Service. "The sea will flood in and will start to create this new ocean.
"It will pull apart, sink down deeper and deeper and eventually... parts of southern Ethiopia, Somalia will drift off, create a new island, and we'll have a smaller Africa and a very big island that floats out into the Indian Ocean."
Just so you don't get too impatient: When Dr. Hammon says "eventually" he means, like, 10 million years. But if you want, you can start thinking of names for the new ocean now!