icon Atlantic Rift

On Jul 15, 1995 ZetaTalk described how the Atlantic would stretch during the coming pole shift, and the Pacific compress. On Apr 5, 2003 ZetaTalk stated that pre-shift quakes, ongoing now, are also pulling the Atlantic apart.

ZetaTalk: Sinking Atlantic, written Jul 15, 1995
Stretching along the Atlantic has been recorded during 2002, when trail derailments, exploding buildings, and sudden sinking of land occurred. In the Pacific, compression has resulted in increasing volcanic activity along the ring of fire, but also in movement of the continents in the direction we have predicted they would move during the shift! Stretching results in quakes, as the plates underneath, in layers like flaky pie crust, release. Stretching results in land not supporting prior buildings or roads or bridges, which suddenly collapse. Stretching also results in volcanoes oozing more lava, or if the skin of the Earth thins, an explosion. This could occur in all those areas we have listed as expected to rip greatly: Red Sea, African Rift, etc.
ZetaTalk: Pre-Shift Quakes, written Apr 5, 2003

In July 27, 2006 Nature magazine published an article detailing new findings that the rift was spreading, and filling in with new lava! The rift was called a detachment zone. This is, at the current time, an active process!

Slippery Stretching Explains Ocean Floor Formation
Jul 31, 2006
For the first time, scientists have found regions of the earth's crust which are stretching apart to form new sea floor; their findings are published in Nature today (27 July). Most new ocean floor is made when undersea volcanic activity splits the crust and molten rock fills the gaps. However some new ocean floor develops when rock stretches along gently inclined tectonic faults called detachment faults. The new research suggests the significance of this stretching process as a way of creating new sea floor has been underestimated. No active examples of these detachment faults had been seen - until now.

Detachment faults are characterised by their curved surfaces, like corrugated iron roofs, and by swarms of tiny earthquakes. Because the distinctive shape of the faults as they emerge, it was possible to show that along 80 kilometres of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge all of the new crust along one side was being formed through a chain of linked detachment faults each at a different stage of evolution, which was highly unexpected. After a while, each fault becomes inactive, and is replaced by a newly-emerging fault. The initial signs are that detachment faulting is far commoner along many hundreds of kilometres of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge than anyone had supposed before. Published today (27 July) in Nature.