Scientists predict that Africa’s Afar region could become Earth’s next ocean basin.
About Afar region:
It is the northeastern part of Ethiopia, where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden.
The Afar depression, also known as the Danakil depression, forms the northern part of the region and is largely desert scrubland with shallow salty lakes and long chains of volcanoes.
The Awash River valley forms the southern part of the area.
Tectonic Significance: It is situated at a unique triple junction where the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and East African Rift converge.
Terrain: The region’s landscape is marked by deep rift valleys, volcanic plateaus, and extensive fissures, reflecting the dynamic forces reshaping the Earth’s crust.
It is one of the hottest places on earth.
It offers scientists a rare opportunity to observe the processes of continental break-up and ocean genesis in action.
The region is well known for its early hominid fossil finds including 'Lucy', an Australopithecus afarensis, discovered in 1974.
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