Commentary By Ron Beasley
Common wisdom in the world of geology went from uniformitarianism to catastrophism, that is to say the forces that shape the earth happen slowly VS they happen in catastrophic bursts. Today it is generally agreed that the correct answer is all of the above. There was a time that it was thought that Ice Ages happened slowly, we now suspect they happen relatively fast. But what about making a new ocean.
Seafloor dynamics at work splitting continent
U. ROCHESTER�In 2005, a gigantic, 35-mile-long rift broke open the desert ground in Ethiopia. At the time, some geologists believed the rift was the beginning of a new ocean as two parts of the African continent pulled apart, but the claim was controversial.
Now, scientists from several countries have confirmed that the volcanic processes at work beneath the Ethiopian rift are nearly identical to those at the bottom of the world�s oceans, and the rift is indeed likely the beginning of a new sea.
The new study, published in the latest issue of Geophysical Research Letters, suggests that the highly active volcanic boundaries along the edges of tectonic ocean plates may suddenly break apart in large sections, instead of little by little as has been predominantly believed. In addition, such sudden large-scale events on land pose a much more serious hazard to populations living near the rift than would several smaller events, says Cindy Ebinger, professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Rochester and coauthor of the study.
And it happened fast:
Ayele�s reconstruction of events showed that the rift did not open in a
series of small earthquakes over an extended period of time, but tore
open along its entire 35-mile length in just days. A volcano called
Dabbahu at the northern end of the rift erupted first, then magma
pushed up through the middle of the rift area and began �unzipping� the
rift in both directions, says Ebinger.
Curious about what unzipping the earth looks like?
So what does it all mean? With sea level on the rise do we really need another ocean?
Unless a new ocean lowered sea level. Think about it; what are you going to fill that new ocean with?
ReplyDeleteRecalls a quote by Ambrose Bierce, one of my favorite wits: "Ocean: A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man - who has no gills."
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(I also like his description of a Conservative, "A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal who wishes to replace them with others.")
My favorite axiom regarding these sort of events (I forget the source) is the following:
ReplyDelete"Geologic time includes now."
Good story. However, we're not going to get a new ocean out of this; we're going to get a new island-continent, as eastern Africa "puts to sea." Given how fast the separation is occurring, perhaps it's time to start buying (future) beachfront property in Ethiopia.
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