The problem boils down to this: as a continent tears, it bleeds lava. It’s nothing more than basic physics. The Earth’s outer crust is pulled apart and thins, decreasing pressure on the deeper parts of the Earth. As pressure lessens, magma from the deeper Earth rises to the surface and erupts through volcanoes. If there is only a little rip in the crust—two small bits of a continent separating from each other, let’s say—then the effects aren’t too bad. You might get a few volcanoes, some lava and ash, some local destruction, and then eventually it stops. That kind of thing is happening in
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