In 2005, a giant rift was formed in just a few days. The rift opened when the Dabbahu Volcano, situated in the north of the region, erupted. The crack forming is thought to be part of the process in which the Arabian Plate and the two African plates, the Nubian Plate and the Somali Plate, are moving apart. This new crack, long, and deep, opened when the lava from the erupting volcano flowed underground and cooled forming a long, wide dike within days.