When walking around each day, it is pretty safe to assume that the ground is stable and not going to move from under you. Sure, there are the occasional earthquakes and sinkholes, but those are not too common and are very localized.

The reality, however, is that land is moving very slowly. Millions of years ago, the continents were all bunched together in a landmass named Pangea. Millions of years from now, geologists say, there will likely be an ocean dividing two sections of Africa.

There is a crack that is forming in the East African Rift System that travels thousands of miles. When it finally breaks off, there will be an opening that stretches through Africa, splitting up Ethiopia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique.

It is being caused by two tectonic plates moving apart. The Somalian plate and the Nubian plate are very slowly drifting.

This isn’t something new as experts say that it has been happening for around 25 million years n ow.

Also, if you are visiting Africa, you don’t have to worry that a large gulf will open up below you as it will take millions more years for the land to shift away.

There is a rift that has started to open up in the area, though it is not yet known whether that rift was caused by the motion of the plates, normal erosion, or other factors.

Lucia Perez Diaz was a researcher with the Fault Dynamics Research Group at Royal Holloway University in London. In an interview with The Conversation, she said:

“Questions remain as to why it has formed in the location that it did and whether its appearance is at all connected to the ongoing East African Rift. For example, the crack could be the result of the erosion of soft soils infilling an old rift-related fault.”

As the movement of the continent continues, there will eventually be a disconnect between the mainland of Africa and a large section of its Eastern shoulder. Naturally, this will fill with water.

It will likely start out as a growing river and continue to expand over time. Eventually becoming large enough to be considered an ocean.

While none of us will likely be around when it happens, it may be comforting to know that this type of movement has happened several times in the past, and it is just a normal part of the evolution of the planet.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about why we should be worried about the leak in the bottom of the ocean.