New ocean!

A 35-mile-long rift in Ethiopia will eventually become a new ocean.

Using newly gathered seismic data from 2005, researchers reconstructed the event to show the rift tore open along its entire 35-mile length in just days. Dabbahu, a volcano at the northern end of the rift, erupted first, then magma pushed up through the middle of the rift area and began “unzipping” the rift in both directions, the researchers explained in a statement today.

We should name it Billy. (via clusterflock)

• Ethiopia
• geology