this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2025
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The Earth Is Splitting Open: Giant Cracks Are Swallowing African Cities Whole (www.sciencenewstoday.org)
submitted 1 day ago by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to c/earthscience@mander.xyz
10 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Gigantic cracks known as gullies are opening up in cities in Africa, swallowing up homes and businesses, sometimes in an instant, a study has found.

A new study published in Nature has revealed just how enormous this threat has become, focusing on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Scientists mapped 26 cities across the country and found an astonishing 2,922 massive gullies, each one a scar across the urban landscape. These are not small erosions; they are immense chasms that can stretch hundreds of meters, tearing apart entire communities. And they are spreading.

Between 2004 and 2023, these gullies displaced nearly 118,600 people in the DRC alone. Entire families have been forced to leave homes passed down through generations, while the land beneath their feet collapses into voids. The danger is accelerating—today, 3.2 million people live in areas at risk of being swallowed, double the number from just over a decade ago.

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[–] swelter_spark@reddthat.com 1 points 2 hours ago

Are these similar to the sinkholes we have in the US?

[–] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Look, I don't want to downplay the very serious impact climate change already has on the so-called global South, but this does not track:

Giant Cracks Are Swallowing African Cities Whole

vs

Gigantic cracks known as gullies are opening up in cities in Africa, swallowing up homes and businesses

[–] Redfox8@mander.xyz 4 points 1 day ago

Why spoil making a buck with the truth?!

[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Some say the end is near…

[–] SpacePanda@mander.xyz 5 points 1 day ago

Tool, link did not disappoint

[–] AlexLost@lemmy.world -2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

My guess would be depleted aquifers from over farming in arid areas. Just a guess, but I'll bet I'm dead on.

[–] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 6 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Thanks for making me read the article just to disprove your "I'm dead on" opinion.

[–] AlexLost@lemmy.world -1 points 11 hours ago

Was I? You said you read it to disprove me but didn't give an answer? Was I wrong?! I don't read articles, only headlines. Then I make suppositions!

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The answer is in the article.

[–] AlexLost@lemmy.world -1 points 1 day ago

I never learned to read (articles)