Startling images reveal the gradual separation of African landmasses, leading to the emergence of a new ocean.

Freshly captured photos highlight the extent of the damage as sections of Africa experience physical division, resulting in the formation of a new ocean between them.

Over the past few years, two regions in Kenya have started to separate, and they are now so far apart that a completely new ocean will develop in the gap eventually.

If this process continues, it is possible that Zambia and Uganda, both African nations, could one day have their own coastlines.

According to expert research, the East African Rift, which is currently splitting parts of Africa apart, will eventually develop into a new ocean in millions of years.

The Geophysical Research Letters, a peer-reviewed journal, reports that experts have identified the precise location where the crack originated from, caused by the gradual movement of three tectonic plates away from each other.

Through a collaborative international effort, it has been revealed that the crack initially emerged in the Ethiopian deserts in 2005 and has since expanded to 35 miles in length.

NBC News interviewed Christopher Moore, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Leeds, who stated, "This is the only place on Earth where you can study how continental rift becomes an oceanic rift."

Moore employed satellite radar technology to track volcanic movements in the East African region, which is commonly linked with Africa's gradual fragmentation.

The crack lies along the borders of the African, Arabian, and Somali tectonic plates.

Over the last 30 million years, the Arabian plate has gradually drifted away from the African continent, contributing to the development of the separation.

The gap is widening at a steady pace, albeit not fast enough to be noticeable by the naked eye. The Arabian plate is moving away from Africa at a rate of roughly one inch per year, whereas the African and Somali plates are separating at a slower pace of around half an inch to 0.2 inches annually.

Experts predict that the gap will continue to expand, ultimately resulting in East Africa becoming a distinct continent on its own.

Ken Macdonald, a professor emeritus and marine geophysicist from the University of California, elaborated on the measurements, stating, "With GPS measurements, you can measure rates of movement down to a few millimeters per year."

"As we get more and more measurements from GPS, we can get a much greater sense of what's going on," he proceeded.

"The Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea will flood in over the Afar region and into the East African Rift Valley and become a new ocean, and that part of East Africa will become its own separate small continent."