Various media outlets have reported a crack in Kenya is being linked to claims that East Africa is splitting in two. But a recent report from The Guardian is chipping away at these theories.

Initial reports from local Kenyan outlets connected the crack to earthquakes in the southwestern region of the country. It’s also led many to believe there are greater geological repercussions, reports CNN.

But The Guardian is negating some of these theories in a recent report alleging the chasm does not have a tectonic origin, which means the two sides of the crack would be able to be rejoined because they have the same outline.

First appearing March 19, the 50-foot wide crack runs several miles. Many have stated that because Africa sits on two tectonic plates— the Nubian and the Somalian— the rift may be a result of movement. However, a report last month in The Conversation by University of London researcher Lucia Perez Diaz stated that the two are splitting apart.

Earthquakes have occurred in the region where the rift has appeared. The Guardian piece maintains that there were no major earthquakes and no official reports of earthquakes from Kenyan authorities. It is normal for small earthquakes to occur, though.

Magmatic dike intrusions have been monitored using satellite radar measurements since the crack appeared, and there has not been movement around the area since, according to The Guardian.

The crack or rift may have been formed by erosion of soil beneath the surface due to extreme rains in Kenya. According to Quartz, the heavy rains in March revealed the crack several kilometers near Mai Mahiu, a town in the Rift Valley.

“Dramatic events, such as sudden motorway-splitting faults or large catastrophic earthquakes may give continental rifting a sense of urgency, but it often goes about splitting Africa without anybody even noticing,” Diaz wrote.

Africa splitting

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