<p>tl;dr</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Has our understanding of the East African Rift significantly changed recently?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>No.</p>

<p><strong>We already know that it is splitting</strong></p>

<p>The headlines suggest that the fact there is splitting (i.e. a rift) is a "maybe": "<em>East Africa could be splitting in two</em>", "<em>Africa could eventually split into two continents</em>".</p>

<p>We already <a href="http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.ea.15.050187.002305" rel="noreferrer">know</a> that it is splitting. There is plenty of evidence for that happening from a variety of fields in geoscience. GPS measurements, geodesy and kinematics <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL032781" rel="noreferrer">tell us</a> how fast it is splitting. The type of magma erupted in volcanoes located in the rift is consistent with what you would expect in a rift (alkaline volcanism and carbonatites). We <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(00)00012-1" rel="noreferrer">know</a> that there's a mantle plume below the rift, which is one of the causes of the rifting. We can even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GC005948" rel="noreferrer">see it</a> with deep earth geophysics.</p>

<p><strong>The Kenya crack is not because of said splitting</strong></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>apparently because some large fissures opened up. </p>
</blockquote>

<p>The crack in Kenya is not the result of this rifting. The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2018/apr/06/africa-is-slowly-splitting-in-two-but-this-crack-in-kenya-rift-valley-has-little-to-do-with-it" rel="noreferrer">link</a> provided by JeopardyTempest in the comments is an excellent summary of what it is: erosion caused by heavy rains.</p>

<p>I will note though that some people suggested the crack to follow a pre-existing fault line, so splitting and earthquakes in the past may have formed a "weak spot" for the erosion to occur, but the erosion itself did was not triggered by any seismic or tectonic activity.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-10T12:39:43.680Z
2018-04-10T12:39:43.680Z
Gimelist
<p>I've noticed many reports in the media about the East African Rift Valley recently, apparently because some large fissures opened up. </p>

<p>Washington Post: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-huge-crack-provides-evidence-that-africa-is-slowly-splitting-into-two/2018/04/06/0b9a5144-3749-11e8-acd5-35eac230e514_story.html" rel="noreferrer">A huge crack provides evidence that Africa is slowly splitting into two</a><br>
CNN: <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/05/africa/crack-africa-rift-valley-continent-splitting-two/" rel="noreferrer">Big crack is evidence that East Africa could be splitting in two</a><br>
Fox News: <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/science/2018/04/09/africa-is-splitting-in-two-and-heres-proof.html" rel="noreferrer">Africa is splitting in two, and here's proof</a><br>
USA Today: <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/04/04/breaking-up-hard-do-africa-could-eventually-split-into-two-continents/485321002/" rel="noreferrer">Breaking up is hard to do: Africa could eventually split into two continents</a></p>

<p>Many of them seem to suggest that this is significant new evidence that Africa is going to split in two, but my understanding was that this was not at all in question and hasn't been for quite some time.  Is this just a case of science journalism exaggerating things as it often does or is there something significant in that the existence of these two plates diverging was less firmly established than I thought or that these recent events have significantly changed our understanding of them that justifies all the hoopla, but is not being adequately conveyed.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-10T05:56:54.153Z
Didn't read any, but did note a outlier title from The Guardian: [Africa is slowly splitting in two – but this 'crack' in Kenya has little to do with it](https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2018/apr/06/africa-is-slowly-splitting-in-two-but-this-crack-in-kenya-rift-valley-has-little-to-do-with-it)
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-10T05:57:26.457Z
And also, this BBC title from way back in 2010 seems perhaps interesting/related: [Africa 'witnessing birth of a new ocean'](http://www.bbc.com/news/10415877)
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-10T16:33:23.997Z
The objective of newspapers, etc, is to sell papers with interesting stories; not provide accurate information.
blacksmith37
<plate-tectonics><east-africa-rift>
Has our understanding of the East African Rift significantly changed recently?
smithkm
# Has our understanding of the East African Rift significantly changed recently?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-04-09)

I've noticed many reports in the media about the East African Rift Valley recently, apparently because some large fissures opened up.

Washington Post: [A huge crack provides evidence that Africa is slowly splitting into two](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/a-huge-crack-provides-evidence-that-africa-is-slowly-splitting-into-two/2018/04/06/0b9a5144-3749-11e8-acd5-35eac230e514_story.html)  
CNN: [Big crack is evidence that East Africa could be splitting in two](https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/05/africa/crack-africa-rift-valley-continent-splitting-two/)  
Fox News: [Africa is splitting in two, and here's proof](http://www.foxnews.com/science/2018/04/09/africa-is-splitting-in-two-and-heres-proof.html)  
USA Today: [Breaking up is hard to do: Africa could eventually split into two continents](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/04/04/breaking-up-hard-do-africa-could-eventually-split-into-two-continents/485321002/)

Many of them seem to suggest that this is significant new evidence that Africa is going to split in two, but my understanding was that this was not at all in question and hasn't been for quite some time. Is this just a case of science journalism exaggerating things as it often does or is there something significant in that the existence of these two plates diverging was less firmly established than I thought or that these recent events have significantly changed our understanding of them that justifies all the hoopla, but is not being adequately conveyed.

**Tags:** plate-tectonics, east-africa-rift

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Didn't read any, but did note a outlier title from The Guardian: [Africa is slowly splitting in two – but this 'crack' in Kenya has little to do with it](https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2018/apr/06/africa-is-slowly-splitting-in-two-but-this-crack-in-kenya-rift-valley-has-little-to-do-with-it)  
> **username_1**: And also, this BBC title from way back in 2010 seems perhaps interesting/related: [Africa 'witnessing birth of a new ocean'](http://www.bbc.com/news/10415877)  
> **username_2**: The objective of newspapers, etc, is to sell papers with interesting stories; not provide accurate information.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-04-10. Score: 9 | Accepted answer

tl;dr

> Has our understanding of the East African Rift significantly changed recently?

No.

**We already know that it is splitting**

The headlines suggest that the fact there is splitting (i.e. a rift) is a "maybe": "*East Africa could be splitting in two*", "*Africa could eventually split into two continents*".

We already [know](http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.ea.15.050187.002305) that it is splitting. There is plenty of evidence for that happening from a variety of fields in geoscience. GPS measurements, geodesy and kinematics [tell us](https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL032781) how fast it is splitting. The type of magma erupted in volcanoes located in the rift is consistent with what you would expect in a rift (alkaline volcanism and carbonatites). We [know](https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(00)00012-1) that there's a mantle plume below the rift, which is one of the causes of the rifting. We can even [see it](https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GC005948) with deep earth geophysics.

**The Kenya crack is not because of said splitting**

> apparently because some large fissures opened up.

The crack in Kenya is not the result of this rifting. The [link](https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2018/apr/06/africa-is-slowly-splitting-in-two-but-this-crack-in-kenya-rift-valley-has-little-to-do-with-it) provided by username_1 in the comments is an excellent summary of what it is: erosion caused by heavy rains.

I will note though that some people suggested the crack to follow a pre-existing fault line, so splitting and earthquakes in the past may have formed a "weak spot" for the erosion to occur, but the erosion itself did was not triggered by any seismic or tectonic activity.


---

