Africa is being torn apart as scientists detect deep pulses beneath the land
Experts have detected deep pulses beneath Africa and say it could tear the continent apart. The scientists say the pulses are made up of molten mantle rock surging upwards in pulses like a heartbeat. Eventually, the continent will be torn apart and a new ocean will be formed (Picture: Getty)
When will this happen?
There is no need to worry just yet as this won’t happen immediately or any time soon. The researchers say this will take place over millions of years. Tectonic plates are pulling apart at rift zones like the Afar region in Ethiopia, and will get stretched thin, like soft plasticine, until they begin to rupture (Picture: Dr Derek Keir, University of Southampton/ University of Florence)
How did the researchers discover this?
Earth scientists at the University of Southampton collected more than 130 volcanic rocks samples from across the Afar region and the Main Ethiopian Rift. Researchers have long thought that the mantle was being pushed up to make the crusts extend, but did not know how. So, using existing data as well as advanced statistical modelling, they investigated the structure of the crust and mantle (Picture: Dr Emma Watts, University of Southampton/ Swansea University)
What did they find?
The researchers found that beneath the Afar region there is a single, asymmetric plume that has distinct chemical bands that repeat across the rift system, like geological barcodes. This shows that the mantle plume beneath the region is not static, but responsive to the tectonic plate above it (Picture: Prof Thomas Gernon, University of Southampton)
Lead author Dr Emma Watts said: ‘We found that the mantle beneath Afar is not uniform or stationary – it pulses, and these pulses carry distinct chemical signatures. These ascending pulses of partially molten mantle are channelled by the rifting plates above. That’s important for how we think about the interaction between Earth’s interior and its surface’ (Picture: Dr Derek Keir, University of Southampton/ University of Florence)
Co-author of the study, Tom Gernon, Professor of Earth Science at the University of Southampton, said: ‘The chemical striping suggests the plume is pulsing, like a heartbeat. These pulses appear to behave differently depending on the thickness of the plate, and how fast it’s pulling apart. In faster-spreading rifts like the Red Sea, the pulses travel more efficiently and regularly like a pulse through a narrow artery’ (Picture: Dr Derek Keir, University of Southampton/ University of Florence)
The finding could be used to inform future research into the activity that could change the surface of our planet. Dr Derek Keir, co-author, said: ‘We have found that the evolution of deep mantle upwellings is intimately tied to the motion of the plates above. This has profound implications for how we interpret surface volcanism, earthquake activity, and the process of continental breakup. The work shows that deep mantle upwellings can flow beneath the base of tectonic plates and help to focus volcanic activity to where the tectonic plate is thinnest. Follow on research includes understanding how and at what rate mantle flow occurs beneath plates’ (Picture: Prof Thomas Gernon, University of Southampton)
