A Giant Crack Opened in Kenya and Is Slowly Splitting the Land in Two

Residents from the Middle East down through much of Eastern Africa are familiar with what is known as the Great Rift Valley, which is comprised of a number of rifts including the East African Rift where the recent exposure took place. The crack had likely been filled with volcanic ash that was washed away by recent heavy rainfall, Geologist David Adede told local news outlet the Daily Nation.

As rain washed in, the rift opened quickly and swiftly, barely allowing Eliud Njoroge Mbugua to grab his belongings and vacate his home before it was swallowed up, according to a report in Reuters.

The island of Madagascar, off Africa’s east coast, may eventually have some additional neighbors. Rifts of the magnitude seen in East Africa may cause the Nubian plate to pull away from the Somali plate. No need to add an additional stop to your off-coast itinerary just yet, however. It will likely be about 50 million years before this happens.