A crack in the Earth's crust - which could be the forerunner to a new ocean - ripped open in just days in 2005, a new study suggests. The opening, located in the Afar region of Ethiopia, presents a unique opportunity for geologists to study how mid-ocean ridges form.
it's possible that this crack will enlarge and grow over the next few million years, and be the basis for the formation of a new ocean someday. Or, the rift could fail, since there are plenty of failed rifts scattered across the world. The Mississippi river runs through such a rift. There is also one that forms the Lake Superior basin. And others.
Posted by Jvstin at November 7, 2009 8:15 AM