Hot pulses from deep within the Earth are slowly tearing a giant crack through Africa

"Beneath the African continent, powerful plumes of molten rock are slowly reshaping the land from below. Scientists studying this massive geological event have uncovered new clues about what lies below the surface and how these forces shape the planet. Their work reveals that

powerful surges of molten rock, called mantle upwellings, pulse upward beneath a key region in East Africa. These pulses are reshaping the landscape, fueling volcanoes, and preparing the way for a new ocean to form.
The research focuses on a region called Afar, located in northeastern Africa. It’s one of the only places on Earth where three giant cracks, or rifts, in the Earth’s surface meet. These rifts stretch across Ethiopia and beyond, and over time, they are splitting the land apart. Underneath these rifts, a large column of hot rock from deep inside the planet rises like a heartbeat, pushing toward the surface." msn