Sixth Ocean is being formed on Earth: A slow but big geological revolution
A quiet but huge geological change is quietly taking place on our planet. Scientists have recently discovered that a new ocean is being formed on Earth – which is being called Earth’s Sixth Ocean. This process is slowly dividing the African continent into two parts, and in the coming millions of years, this change can have a profound effect on our Earth’s geography, climate and economy.
How is the new ocean being formed?
This new ocean is being formed due to the activities of tectonic plates. The African plate, the Arabian plate and the Somali plate – these three big plates are separating from each other. For the last 30 million years, the Arabian plate has been slowly moving away from Africa, and the Somali plate is also separating from the African plate. Due to this, a big crack is being formed in the East African Rift Valley, which can gradually fill with sea water and form a new ocean.
Description of the movement:
African plate: is separating from the Arabian and Somali plates.
Arabian plate: is continuously moving away from Africa.
Somali plate: is separating from the African plate and creating a new rift.
Where will the new ocean be formed?
This sixth ocean will be formed mainly in the East African Rift Valley, which passes through Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. This rift extends to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Scientists believe that in the coming millions of years, sea water will fill this rift and a new ocean will be formed.
The formation of this ocean will bring a big change in African geography. Countries that are landlocked today, i.e. cut off from the sea – like Zambia and Uganda – can get direct access to the sea. This can also bring a big improvement in the economic condition of these countries.
Possible changes:
Role of technology
Today it has become possible to measure even such a slow process with the help of modern technology like GPS. According to Ken MacDonald, a marine geophysicist at the University of California, GPS instruments are so accurate that they can measure the movement of plates to the nearest millimeters per year.
Through this, scientists are monitoring the East African Rift and are able to predict the formation of this new ocean.
Key technical aspects:
Accurate monitoring of plate movement with the help of GPS
Data is collected continuously, which makes long-term predictions possible
Earth’s future
Although this change is very slow on the scale of human life, its effect will be far-reaching. Water from the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea will gradually fill the Afar region and East Africa, forming a new ocean.
This will not only change the map of the Earth, but will also affect the global climate and ocean currents – which can also lead to changes in weather patterns.
This geological event proves that the Earth is not a stable planet, but it is constantly undergoing change. In the future, this event could prove to be a new chapter for science, geography and the global economy.
Even though this ocean will not be formed before our eyes, through scientific research and technological monitoring we can understand its every step – and know where the future of the Earth is heading.