More recently, the rift between the Arabian and African tectonic plates further widened in September 2005 after the two plates got stuck together and split apart along thirty-seven miles towards the southern end of the Red Sea. This specific tear, in 2005, was especially significant as it marked the “largest single rip seen since satellite monitoring began.” A similar tear in the Earth’s crust did occur in Iceland from 1975 to 1984; however, the tear was composed of twenty individual rips over nine years, unlike the similar tear in the Red Sea, which only took a few weeks. Following the tear, a series of earthquakes began, which lasted for a week. Geologist, Cynthia Ebinger, from the University of London visited the area shortly after and observed new crevices, several new cracks in the ground, fumes as hot as 752 degrees Fahrenheit and traces of recent volcanic activity. The formation of the Red Sea and its constant widening is especially significant to science as it helps explain how tectonic plats split and how new crust forms. [1]
Because the tectonic plates between Arabia and Africa are still moving apart, geologists have stated that there is a significant likelihood that the Red Sea will develop into an ocean. * Geophysicists predict that "in 10 million years the East African Rift System will be as large as the Red Sea" which would result in Africa eventually losing its horn as the Red Sea forms an ocean. Additionally, geophysicists expect much volcanic activities and earthquakes in the region which would cause the mountains in the region to "one day sink into the sea." [2]
Plate Boundary and Direction of Movement
http://www.opinionbug.com/3970/red-sea-earthquakes—whats-happening/
[1] http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/07/060719-red-sea-parts.html
[2] http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,405947,00.html
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