NASA Earth Observatory map by Joshua Stevens, using data from Sandwell, D. et al. (2014).
- Tectonic plates under the Americas, Europe, and Africa are separating as the Atlantic Ocean grows wider.
- A 2021 study suggests atypically hot material, 410 miles underground, is rising and forcing the plates apart.
- "This is what makes this result exciting because it was completely unexpected," one expert said.
The Atlantic Ocean grows 1.5 inches wider every year.