Comment Re:Poor Headline (Score 1) 168
The news is not that the East African rift will form a new ocean - that's been known for a few years
In order for an ocean to form, the plates on either side need to have somewhere to move to. That requires not only the local rift dynamics but also a shift in all the surrounding plates so they "get out of the way". I don't know of any evidence that this is happening. If others do, I'd be happy to have references.
Similarly, the nearby Red Sea was able to start spreading because the plate to the north was being subducted near Iran. But since that subduction has likely stopped, it's questionable whether the Red Sea will continue spreading into anything much bigger than it is today.
Devon