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The Earth is tearing Africa and Asia apart by 0.5 millimetres a year

Very, very slowly, parts of the tectonic boundary between Africa and Asia are being torn apart, with new evidence showing a rift near the border of the two continents. The rip is happening in the Gulf of Suez Rift, which is a deep fracture located in the Earth’s crust, running along the narrow strip of sea between Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula – essentially where Africa and Asia meet. (Picture: Getty)
The rift is the tail end of the larger Red Sea Rift, which split between the Arabian and African tectonic plates around 25 million years ago. The new study, which is published in the Journal Geophysical Research Letters, shows that the rift is more active than first thought, as it was previously believed to be a ‘failed rift’. But by looking at the shape of the rift and the positions of ancient coal reefs above sea level, researchers have found that the crust is rifting at a very slow 0.55 millimeters – or 0.02 inches — every year. (Picture: Getty)
In their paper, the researchers wrote: ‘The present rates of extension are slower than they were previously in the rift, but still comparable to actively stretching regions, like the Basin and Range, USA. This unexpected activity challenges the traditional view that rifts simply “fail” and become inactive. Instead, the Suez Rift continues stretching at reduced rates, despite most plate motion and the majority of deformation shifting elsewhere. Our findings suggest scientists need to better study how supposedly “dead” continental rifts evolve worldwide, since they may still be extending.’ (Picture: Getty)
In their new finding, the researchers analysed the 186 mile extent of the rift zone, by looking at the topography and river paths that cut through the rock which can unveil some strange movement that cannot be explained by erosion alone, and therefore has to come through tectonic movement too. They also looked at the elevations of coral reefs that formed around sea level during warm interglacial periods but now are over 60 feet above the gulf. (Picture: Getty)
The research revealed a continual rifting that slowed five million years ago, when the tectonic plates changed and the action shifted to the Dead Sea, where a new boundary between the African and Arabian plates were forming. But the rifting did not stop, and now goes at a pace similar to the western United States, which is creating a series of mountains and valleys known as the Basin and Range province. (Picture: Getty)
With their finding, the researchers hope to re-write the understanding of geological rifts as it does not seem to be a black or white thing, but rather a spectrum of activity, which may still slowly function even if they are assumed to be finished. The good news is that this tear is not going to happen anytime soon, as the shift of tectonic plates is more complicated and slower – taking up to millions of years to unfold. (Picture: Getty)
They wrote: ‘By continuing to experience extension, the Suez Rift does not fit its failed rift classification, possibly due to its proximity to an active plate boundary. These findings highlight the need to reassess supposedly inactive rifts globally, testing whether deceleration without failure as a common evolutionary pathway in intracontinental rifts. Models of continental rift evolution must account for systems where tectonic activity persists despite primary strain transfer to adjacent or newly formed plate boundaries.’ (Picture: Getty)
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