This rift divided Socotra and the Arabian Peninsula; prior to rifting, Socotra was contiguous with what is now the Dhofar Governorate in southern Oman. Extension along the eastern segments of the Aden Ridge increases the separation of the Arabian Peninsula from Somalia (and Socotra) at the rate of about . Additionally, for approximately the last 10 Ma, the associated geologic forces have subjected Socotra to slow tectonic uplift.