The split between South America and Africa 135 million years ago was a fiery affair, new research finds.
The continental breakup spewed over 3.8 million cubic miles (16 million cubic kilometers) of magma that still persists as volcanic rocks in South America, in Africa, and on the seafloor of the Atlantic Ocean. In some places in Namibia and Angola, these volcanic rock layers are up to 0.6 mile (1 kilometer) thick.
