Toastyone Posted December 10, 2005 Share Posted December 10, 2005 ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Ethiopian, American and European researchers have observed a fissure in a desert in the remote northeast that could be the "birth of a new ocean basin," scientists said Friday.ADVERTISEMENT Researchers from Britain, France, Italy and the U.S. have been observing the 37-mile long fissure since it split open in September in the Afar desert and estimate it will take a million years to fully form into an ocean, said Dereje Ayalew, who leads the team of 18 scientists studying the phenomenon. The fissure, now 13 feet wide, formed in just three weeks after a Sept. 14 earthquake in a barren region called Boina, some 621 miles north east of the capital, Addis Ababa, said Dereje. "We believe we have seen the birth of a new ocean basin," said Dereje of Addis Ababa University. "This is unprecedented in scientific history because we usually see the split after it has happened. But here we are watching the phenomenon." The findings have been presented at a weeklong American Geophysical Union meeting taking place in San Francisco that ends Friday. More :| That is nice I just wish it would not take so long to actually become one...there is no way I will ever live to see it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scudworth Posted December 10, 2005 Share Posted December 10, 2005 :| That is nice I just wish it would not take so long to actually become one...there is no way I will ever live to see it Haha, yeah. There are so many things I would love to be around for. I'd like to see what happens when the Eurasian plate and the North American plate have converged so much that the Bering straight between Siberia and Alaska is no-more... among other things...more interesting things... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boffa Jones Veteran Posted December 10, 2005 Veteran Share Posted December 10, 2005 Things like this are definetly awesome to hear about. I wonder if they will find any fossils. Never know, maybe they can add some new species to our family tree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanManIt Posted December 10, 2005 Share Posted December 10, 2005 This is very intreresting. I wish I could live to see it when it's a full ocean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.nudd Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 This is very intreresting. I wish I could live to see it when it's a full ocean. Yeah, we won't, unless there is a serious science breakthrough soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 :unsure: What if they filled in the crack with concrete ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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