It is widely accepted that more than two-thirds of the planet Earth is water. The world ocean is commonly described as having five parts: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Antarctic (sometimes called Southern).
This division has long been considered stable but experts studying tectonic activity say that the African continent may split in two, allowing a sixth ocean to form millions of years from now. They believe this shift is linked to deep Earth processes that shape the planet’s surface over geologic timescales.
Shifting plates under our feet
Tectonic plates move as a result of energy coming from the Earth’s interior. Heat from the core creates currents in the mantle, pushing plates apart or bringing them together. This process is known as plate tectonics.
Sometimes, these plates run into each other and trigger events that leave long-term marks. Mountains form where plates collide head-on. Trenches appear where plates sink beneath each other. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions happen where the Earth’s crust flexes under the strain. These forces have shaped continents and oceans over billions of years.
A scientist weighs in
According to Cynthia Ebinger, a geologist at Tulane University, the African continent is undergoing changes that hint at something remarkable. The Great Rift Valley in East Africa runs from Ethiopia to Mozambique, and it is an area where the Earth’s crust is stretching. A roughly 37-mile-long rift formed in Ethiopian territory.
Massive fissures have also been observed in Kenya and Ethiopia. Plates in this region shift at a rate of a few millimeters per year. Such steady but slow movements can bring about dramatic differences over millions of years.
The slow march toward something new
The separation happening in Africa involves the Nubian tectonic plates to the west and the Somali plate to the east. Over time, as these plates keep drifting apart, water is expected to rush in. This would create a new ocean basin and cut off part of East Africa from the rest of the continent.
Experts estimate that this process might take approximately between five to ten million years. The world would then have a completely new ocean, an addition to the familiar ones already known. The idea of standing on a land mass that might one day be home to a brand-new ocean is hard to ignore.
The role of rifts and volcanoes
The Great Rift Valley is not just a line on a map. It is a zone with geological activity that can surprise observers. These rift zones often feature sinking land, as the crust is pulled thin. Volcanoes like Mount Nyiragongo and Mount Kilimanjaro in East Africa are signs of the active geological nature of this part of the continent.
Earthquakes that happen in this area serve as reminders that the ground beneath is not solid in the long term. This is how the Earth reshapes itself: quiet shifting over long periods, punctuated by sudden events that remind everyone of the slow rearrangement happening below.
Past precedents beneath the waves
None of this is entirely without precedent. Experts say that what is happening in East Africa mirrors events seen in the past. When the Pacific Plate was pushed under the Philippine Plate, a subduction process occurred.
This collision created the Mariana Trench, the deepest place in the Earth’s crust. Its depth exceeds 10,000 meters below sea level, which is over 32,800 feet.
Though nobody knows exactly when this happened, the result is a striking reminder that continents and seafloors do not remain where they start. The Earth’s surface is always subject to these subtle forces, which produce stunning results over very long timescales.
Another continent’s quiet shift
Africa’s situation is not unique. India is showing signs of changes that may lead it toward a split of its own. Studies suggest a horizontal division could occur because of a collision between the Indian Continental Plate and the Eurasian Plate. Different theories exist.
Some point to prominent mountain formations in Tibet. Others mention the folding of the Indian plate or even a rupture in the form of plate delamination.
These scenarios might lead to the rise of a small, new continent. The timescales are massive, spanning millions of years, but the Earth’s activity will continue to create outcomes that can be difficult to imagine.
A future beyond current geography
In the far future, what seems permanent might not be so. Continents will shift. Oceans will appear. Landscapes known today will be long gone. The creation of a sixth ocean may sound far-fetched to some, but plate tectonics sets the stage for it.
Today’s calm shores may become tomorrow’s deep ocean trenches. Areas that seem stable might one day be submerged. The present global map is only a snapshot in an endless timeline. A million years is a very long time for people, but a short moment for these movements inside the Earth.
