A huge crack in the ground has suddenly appeared in southwestern Kenya, and it may be the first sign that Africa will eventually split into two continents. At least some scientists have this version.
Local news outlet Daily Outlet says the crack in some places is about 15 meters deep and 20 meters wide. Its length is several kilometers. It originated in the East African Rift Valley, which runs from the Horn of Africa to Mozambique itself. And there are many weak points in this valley.
They are caused by the movement of the earth's crust, and in such places cracks and breaks occur. According to a local article, such cracks are usually filled with volcanic dust from Mount Longonot nearby, but a recent rainstorm has washed away the entire layer and now the crack has opened.
National Geographic notes that the rifts in this area are becoming more massive as the two tectonic plates, the Somali and Nubian, move away from each other. Over time, they can disperse completely, but it will happen somewhere within 50 million years. Such ruptures may indicate the beginning of a continental fault and the beginning of the formation of a new oceanic basin. This process is similar to the rift that created Africa and South America.
But not everyone is convinced of such a radical theory. Forbes notes that there has been no evidence of recent earthquakes in the area. The Geological Survey of Kenya believes that the crack was formed by an underground flow caused by heavy rainfall that fell after a long drought and caused soil erosion. True, why such a large service does not elaborate.
Whatever the reason, this phenomenon has already caused a lot of worries for local residents. Part of the highway has already collapsed because of it, and families living near the crack are beginning to evacuate, fearing for their safety.
But what happened a couple of years ago in another region.
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Remember I told you about the San Andreas Rift? And even the disaster film with some success was screened on exactly this topic.
But jokes are jokes, but what happened there then:
On Friday, November 20, 2015, a section of the Vasquez Canyon road, located about 30 km from Los Angeles and 20 km from the San Andreas Fault, was closed due to ground displacement. The landslide damaged about 45 meters of the roadway. Cracks in the ground remain active and widen, according to the Los Angeles Department of Public Works. At present, their depth is almost 2 meters.
Ground displacement started at noon Thursday and became more pronounced in the afternoon. The Vazquez Canyon Road is closed until further notice, and residents of the nearby town of Santa Clarita are offered the Sierra Highway as an alternative route. There are no residential buildings in the immediate vicinity of the damaged site. Engineers and geologists from the Department of Public Works are trying to find the cause of the incident.