Scientists have discovered a dramatic geological process beneath eastern Africa that could reshape the continent over millions of years. New research published in Nature Geoscience reveals that pulses of molten rock, described as a “geological heartbeat,” are rising from deep within the Earth’s mantle beneath Ethiopia’s Afar region. These rhythmic surges of heat and magma are gradually weakening the crust, driving earthquakes, fueling volcanic activity, and steadily pulling the land apart. Over the next 5 to 10 million years, this process is expected to split Africa into two parts and create a brand-new ocean basin.
The Afar triple junction: A hotspot of Earth’s activity
The Afar Depression in Ethiopia is one of the few places on Earth where three tectonic rifts meet, the Red Sea Rift, the Gulf of Aden Rift, and the Main Ethiopian Rift. Known as a “triple junction,” this region is already marked by frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Scientists have now confirmed that the driving force behind this tectonic drama is an active mantle plume beneath the region, rising in pulses rather than as a continuous flow.
A mantle plume with a heartbeat
By analyzing lava samples from over 130 young volcanoes, researchers discovered chemical patterns showing that the mantle beneath Afar does not flow uniformly. Instead, it pulses rhythmically, like a heartbeat, and carries distinct chemical signatures. These mantle surges interact with the thinning crust above, speeding up the rifting process and setting the stage for the eventual creation of a new ocean basin.
How Africa will split
The slow but steady movements are gradually pulling the Somali Plate away from the larger Nubian Plate, forming deep rift valleys. Over millions of years, seawater from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden is expected to flood into the depression, eventually creating a vast new ocean. When that happens, countries like Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo could transform from landlocked nations into coastal states with access to the sea.
Global significance of the discovery
The study reshapes our understanding of how deep mantle processes interact with tectonic plates to shape the Earth’s surface. Similar processes in the past gave rise to the Atlantic Ocean when South America broke away from Africa hundreds of millions of years ago. Scientists warn that mantle upwellings like Afar’s can also release vast amounts of gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, influencing global climate and even triggering mass extinctions in Earth’s history.Researchers emphasize that Africa’s split will not happen overnight but over millions of years, a reminder of the planet’s slow yet powerful transformations. Future studies aim to map mantle flow beneath thin plates in more detail, improving predictions about where volcanic activity and earthquakes may occur. For now, scientists are left marveling at Earth’s deep rhythms, a geological heartbeat strong enough to tear a continent apart and give birth to an ocean yet to be born.
