Is Africa splitting into two continents? Reason and impact explored

A large crack has appeared in Africa's Kenyan Rift Valley and pictures of the same are being widely circulated online. Several curious social media users raised questions and asked if the continent is splitting into two.

It is true that the African continent is splitting into two parts, but it will reportedly take some time. Scientists are citing tectonic movements as the reason behind the crack. However, as per the report in The Guardian, the crack in the Kenyan rift could have been caused by sudden erosion.

Dr. Edwin Dindi of the Department of Geology in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Nairobi said that the crack could be an indication that an ocean is forming along the eastern part of the African rift valley.

He further added:

"The Eastern arm of the Rift Valley is fairly active, and this is seen in the many tremors that occur around it. This will, however, take a long time probably millions of years for it to happen."

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Extreme sudden erosion the reason behind Africa splitting into two continents and giving way to formation of rift valley

The cracks that have been spotted in Kenya are being cited as a rift valley, which is used to describe a crack or a spot where tectonic plate movement takes place and causes the land to move further apart.

For the unversed, these plate movements are also the reason behind natural phenomena like volcanoes and earthquakes.

As per studies, the places where extreme climate change takes place, those areas are likely to experience erosion or cracks in these ways. This happens because of the higher-than-usual concentration of volcanic ash deposited in the soil.

Moreover, Dr. Dindi, in an interview, stated:

"The tectonic plates are in a state of flux with some shifting against each other along fault zones, some falling beneath one another, while others crash against one another, tearing apart from each other at divergent plate boundaries. This motion led to the formation of the various continents as we know them today; Africa, South America, North America, Europe, Asia and Australia."

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Is this the first time a crack has emerged in Kenya?

It is to be noted that this is not the first time that a crack has emerged in Kenya. Earlier in 2008, news reports of another crack spread like wildfire, which gave way to speculations for the first time regarding the continent splitting into two.

At the time, IFL Science reported that this crack was "a highly localized expression of the valley's regular rifting activity." Africa is the second largest continent in the world and has about 30.3 million km² area, including adjacent islands