News Earth The crust under Africa is thinning in a way that hasn’t been seen before The continent won’t split anytime soon. But the thinning is a critical transition The Turkana Rift Zone (shown) in Kenya and Ethiopia is on a critical transition to continental breakup. Christian Rowan By Katherine Kornei 3 hours ago Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on X (Opens in new window) X Print (Opens in new window) Print It’s a bit of a stretch, but the analogy works. Sometimes Earth’s tectonic plates pull apart from one another like taffy. In eastern Africa, that taffy is already thin and weak, and the tugging forces are concentrated in certain spots.
