The African Ocean

In 2005, a gigantic, 35-mile-long rift broke open the desert ground in Ethiopia. At the time, some geologists believed the rift was the beginning of a new ocean as two parts of the African continent pulled apart, but the claim was controversial.

Now, scientists from several countries have confirmed that the volcanic processes at work beneath the Ethiopian rift are nearly identical to those at the bottom of the world’s oceans, and the rift is indeed likely the beginning of a new sea.

http://futurity.org/earth-environment/seafloor-dynamics-at-work-splitting-continent/

Frightening as hell, but also unspeakably cool. Evidence to suggest that hundreds of miles of seafloor can significantly change geographically in just hours and days. Welcome to the dynamic Earth.