New evidence continues to emerge in 2025, suggesting that the East African Rift is progressing towards the formation of an ocean basin, akin to the Red Sea. This geological phenomenon, initiated roughly 22 million years ago, is gradually setting the stage for a new sea to emerge in Africa.
The East African Rift stretches approximately 2,000 miles from the Red Sea to Mozambique, causing noticeable changes on the ground. Engineers are repairing warped highways, and farmers are encountering new hot springs. GPS data indicates the land is stretching as the Somali and Nubian tectonic plates diverge.
Key Events and Observations
In 2005, a 56-kilometer fissure opened in Ethiopia within ten days, and similar rifts appeared in Kenya in 2018. Experts attribute this to magma rising from deep within the Earth's crust, weakening the terrain and facilitating plate separation. According to a February 2025 study in the scientific journal JGR Solid Earth, the northern branch, called the Main Ethiopian Rift, narrows to a canyon flanked by steep faults that slip in bursts. Further south, the valley widens; seismic waves lose energy there faster than expected, marking pockets of molten rock that prop the crust open from below.
While the complete formation of a new ocean could take millions of years, the East African Rift provides a unique opportunity to observe the creation of an ocean basin in real-time.