Scientists studying Africa’s deep crust have uncovered fresh evidence that the continent is slowly rifting apart — a process that may eventually split Africa into two separate landmasses, separated by a newly formed ocean basin. The tearing begins in the northeast and is spreading southward, a motion likened to “unzipping a jacket.” The most active region is the East African Rift, especially around the Afar region (where the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Ethiopian rifts converge). There, geological forces — including pulsing magma from deep within the Earth — are weakening the crust, stretching it until it thins and will ultimately rupture. As seafloor spreading continues, seawater may flood the region, giving birth to a new ocean.

If this slow but steady movement persists, the full continental breakup could complete in roughly 5 to 10 million years. In that distant future, the western part of Africa would include countries like Egypt, Algeria and Nigeria, while the eastern segment — including Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, Mozambique and others — would drift separately. The findings underline that Earth’s surface remains dynamically alive: our continents, oceans, and coastlines are not permanent fixtures but evolving features shaped by deep-time geological forces.