A massive plume deep beneath Africa is pulling the continent apart
Science Daily · 2026-09-01
A massive plume of hot rock rising from deep within Earth, known as the African Superplume, appears to be actively reshaping the East African Rift System, where the continent is slowly pulling apart. Geophysicist D. Sarah Stamps and her team, including postdoctoral researcher Tahiry Rajaonarison, used over 12 years of GPS measurements and 3D thermomechanical models to investigate unusual deformation patterns. They found that while typical continental rifting causes movement perpendicular to the rift, parts of the East African Rift also show deformation parallel to the rift, which previous models could not fully explain. New simulations indicate this unexpected parallel motion is linked to northward mantle flow associated with the African Superplume, a vast zone of rising mantle material originating beneath southwest Africa and extending northeast. This deep mantle flow also accounts for rift-parallel seismic anisotropy, providing further evidence that deep mantle movement influences surface deformation. The research, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, suggests that both shallower lithospheric buoyancy forces and deeper mantle flow contribute to the complex breakup of the continent.