"Africa's Split: Mushroom-shaped Superplume Divides Continent"
A recent study suggests that a mushroom-shaped superplume of scorching hot rock rising from near Earth's core may be responsible for the mysterious distortions and splitting of Africa. The East African Rift, the largest active continental rift, is experiencing unusual deformations parallel to the rift, in addition to the expected perpendicular deformations. The researchers used GPS technology, seismic instruments, and 3D computer simulations to analyze the underground activity and found that the African Superplume, rising beneath southwest Africa and extending northeast, may be driving the northward mantle flow causing these distortions. This study improves our understanding of how continents break up.