Friday, November 6, 2009

Giant Crack In Africa Formed In Just Days

A 500-metre-long crack opened up in just a few days in Afar, Ethiopia, in 2005
(Image: University of Rochester)


From The New Scientist:

A crack in the Earth's crust – which could be the forerunner to a new ocean – ripped open in just days in 2005, a new study suggests. The opening, located in the Afar region of Ethiopia, presents a unique opportunity for geologists to study how mid-ocean ridges form.

The crack is the surface component of a continental riftMovie Camera forming as the Arabian and African plates drift away from one another. It began to open up in September 2005, when a volcano at the northern end of the rift, called Dabbahu, erupted.

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