Complete the given passage using an appropriate tense form.

Researchers last month reported that they ………………………….. (observed / have observed / had observed / were observing) a fissure in a desert in the remote northeast of Ethiopia . The 4-metre wide fissure …………………….. (formed / was formed / has formed / had formed) in three weeks after a series of quakes ……………………… (hit / were hit / have hit) a barren region called Boina, 1,000 kilometer northwest of the Capital Addis Ababa. The formation of the basin ………………………… (accompanied / has accompanied / was accompanied / had accompanied) by volcanic activity. The earth …………………….. (was spewed / spewed / has spewed / was spewing) ash for three days and numerous cracks appeared on the ground. Scientists said that it could be the birth of a new ocean basin.

Oceans ……………………….. (formed / forming / are formed / have formed) through a process called continental rifting. It normally ………………………….. (takes / took / has taken / is taking) millions of years to become complete. The split which now appeared in the Afar desert in Ethiopia is the beginning of a long process which …………………………. (can / should / will / shall) eventually lead to Ethiopia ’s eastern part tearing off from the rest of Africa . The Afar desert ……………………….. (is tearing / is being torn / has torn / was torn) off the continent by about 17 millimetres each other.

A sea ………………………….. (forms / will form / would form / has formed) in the gap in due course. When the process is complete the area ………………………… (fills / will fill / would fill / can fill) up with water because it is low-lying. Water ……………………. (migrated / will migrate / would migrate / has migrated) from the Red sea and the Gulf of Aden. It will eventually ……………………….. (become / became / becoming) an ocean basin. There are no immediate concerns about the Afar region however – it will take a couple of million years before the process is complete.

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