Geoscientist Christian Rowan of Columbia University explained that the Earth's crust in the region is much thinner than previously thought and that East Africa has reached a more advanced stage of the rifting process than expected.
This period of time, which will pass in one “angle” on a geological scale, will permanently change the map of the continent.
“Declining phase” in the earth’s crust
The researchers calculated crust thickness by analyzing seismic measurements from the Turkana Trench, which runs through Kenya and Ethiopia.
It was found that the crust thickness, which is normally 35 kilometers at the edges, decreased to 13 kilometers in the middle of the rift valley.
The fact that the crust has sunk below 15 kilometers proves that we have entered the stage known in geology as “necking,” suggesting that continental breakup is inevitable.
As the thinning and weaker crust further accelerates the rifting process, in the next stage magma rises to the surface and forms a new seafloor.
The African Plate formed when water from the Indian Ocean filled this basin; It is divided into two parts: the Nubian Plate in the west and the Somali Plate, which covers the east coast and Madagascar.
The “Necking” phase, which began about 4.6 million years ago, accelerated the accumulation of sediments in the region and allowed records of the creatures living then to be preserved to the present day.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, shows that tectonic changes played a fundamental role in creating the region's unique paleoanthropological record.
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