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Ocean Under Construction
11/04/09 11:10 AM
Ever wonder how oceans are born? Read on.
In a part of Ethiopia that is not a wet place, a new ocean is in the first stages of its birth, a process that will take millions of years to complete.
This 35-mile long crack in the Earth's crust, called a "rift," first opened in 2005 and is already 20-feet across in some places. At first, scientistis weren't sure what would become of this new rift, which appeared in a matter of days. Now, after studying it more closely, they believe it is following the same growth process that continues at the bottom of our planet's oceans. Eventually, the result will be a new and very large body of water.
The initial birth pang of this ocean-to-be involved Dabbahu, a volcano at the northern end of the rift that began erupting in 2005. This eruption forced magma (hot lava-like goo) up to the surface, creating the crack itself through a process that some refer to as "unzipping" the Earth's crust.
What's next? Well, in about a half million years or so, the nearby Red Sea, which is also growing, is expected to pour into the rift, filling it and connecting the whole new expanse with the Gulf of Aden, which is part of the Arabian Sea.
When that happens, you and I won't be around to see it, but we are, nonetheless, witnessing the initial signs of one of the planet's great acts of creation.
This 35-mile long crack in the Earth's crust, called a "rift," first opened in 2005 and is already 20-feet across in some places. At first, scientistis weren't sure what would become of this new rift, which appeared in a matter of days. Now, after studying it more closely, they believe it is following the same growth process that continues at the bottom of our planet's oceans. Eventually, the result will be a new and very large body of water.
The initial birth pang of this ocean-to-be involved Dabbahu, a volcano at the northern end of the rift that began erupting in 2005. This eruption forced magma (hot lava-like goo) up to the surface, creating the crack itself through a process that some refer to as "unzipping" the Earth's crust.
What's next? Well, in about a half million years or so, the nearby Red Sea, which is also growing, is expected to pour into the rift, filling it and connecting the whole new expanse with the Gulf of Aden, which is part of the Arabian Sea.
When that happens, you and I won't be around to see it, but we are, nonetheless, witnessing the initial signs of one of the planet's great acts of creation.