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The rift running through Ethiopia reveals pulses in Earth's mantle that could create a new ocean in East Africa.
Research published in 2025 in Nature Geoscience reveal that rhythmic pulses of molten rock are rising from the interior of the Earth under the region of Afar, Ethiopia.
These underground movements are tearing the African continent in half. Furthermore, the study, conducted by scientists from Universities of Southampton and Swansea, in the United Kingdom, indicates that the phenomenon is ongoing and extremely profound.
Thus, the researchers concluded that these movements of the mantle slowly shape the Earth's crust and, over time, they can give rise to a new ocean. Therefore, the work points to a unprecedented geological future on the planet.
The heart of the Earth beats beneath Ethiopia
According to the study's lead author, Emma Watts (Swansea University), the mantle under Afar it is not static.
On the contrary, he behaves like a “beating geological heart”, sending heat waves and molten material upwards. As a result, these pulsations weaken the Earth's crust and accelerate the separation of tectonic plates.
Furthermore, Watts explained that these mantle pulses have distinct chemical signatures, revealing a strong interaction between the Earth's interior and its surface.
Thus, the discovery broadens our understanding of how the planet transforms internally over time and reinforces the importance of multidisciplinary studies to understand such processes.
The most unstable region on the planet
The region of afar is considered one of the areas most geologically unstable in the world, as it houses the meeting of three major tectonic faults: Red Sea rift, Gulf of Aden rift and Great Ethiopian Rift. Thus, this triple point became the ideal scenario for the continental breakup.
As the plates move apart, the Earth's crust lengthens and becomes thinner, making room for the emergence of a new ocean basin. This process, however, must take millions of years until it reaches its complete form.
During collections carried out between 2022 and 2024, scientists analyzed more than 130 samples of volcanic rocks of the region. As a result, they discovered chemical patterns that repeat themselves, similar to “geological barcodes”.
These patterns reveal that the mantle pulses in a constant and organized, with behavior similar to a heartbeat. According to the researcher Tom Gernon (University of Southampton), in the fastest expanding rifts, pulsations propagate more efficiently, as if they were currents of energy flowing in a narrow artery.
Thus, the phenomenon demonstrates how the interior of the planet directly influences the exterior.
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A continent in transformation
As highlighted Derek Keir (University of Southampton), continuous movement of the mantle heats and wears away the Earth's crust, causing intense volcanism and frequent earthquakes. In this way, scientists point out that the the African continent is slowly breaking in half, which represents a milestone in the geological evolution of the Earth.
Furthermore, the evolution of these deep mantle elevations is directly linked to the movement of tectonic plates, allowing us to understand more precisely the rhythm of volcanism and continental fragmentation.
Although the process occurs on an extremely slow timescale, scientists say that the result is inevitable. So the Horn of Africa se will separate from the rest of the continent, and the crack opened will be filled with sea water, creating a new ocean. With this, the landscape will be similar to Early Atlantic, formed tens of millions of years ago.
A look at the future of Earth
The study reinforces that the African rift began to open about 31 million years, during the Oligocene. Furthermore, the main expansion phases occurred between 35 and 11 million years ago, in the systems of the Gulf of Aden, from Mar vermelho and Great Ethiopian Rift.
The analyzed samples, with ages below 2,5 million years, confirm that the process is still active. Therefore, researchers believe that it will continue for millions of years, completely reshaping the map of the African continent.
To Emma Watts, this is just the first step in a new understanding of the inner workings of the planet.
Thus, the researcher highlighted that, without the use of several combined techniques, it would be “how to put together a puzzle without all the pieces”. Therefore, cooperation between universities from different countries is fundamental to understanding terrestrial dynamics and predict how the planet will continue to evolve in the next geological eras.
God continues to make the earth, which is not ready.
It is incomprehensible and unacceptable that some people still react with laughter about this. ****, that's all.
Even more incomprehensible and unacceptable is the word “n3gaci0nist4” in my comment being censored.
Amazing!! Nova Gaya🌸, our planet, still has a lot to transform and humanity still has a lot to review, reevaluate and readapt.
I'm enchanted!! I know it reverberates in destruction, but we live in extreme moments.
The need for profound changes is extreme.
If we don't do them, nature pushes us to do them, without time or way to complain...
Just accept, adapt, care for the wounded, and keep evolving.
We are one heart and many bodies, many consciousnesses. Gaining clarity about this and becoming one is what we are inevitably on our way to achieving.
I make your words mine: we are inhabitants, not owners, of a living body like ours, which reacts when it feels invaded. We should always be grateful for having a source of survival. I'm not speaking about our jobs, because everyone has their own, but rather about having the opportunity to have everything in one place. If everyone knew what gratitude means, and being grateful already, it would make a huge difference in the life that sustains life.
Real words! Human beings need to reinvent themselves and purify their souls! The Earth is shaped by its own nature, and human beings are becoming increasingly confused!