Simplify the following text for a Grade 11 native English-speaking person.
Original: As the African Plate moves slowly north-northeastward , it is plowing up the sediment layers of the Mediterranean , lifting them from the seabed , and in one area already above sea level , causing the island of Cyprus .
Simplified: As the African Plate moves slowly north-northeastward , it plows up the floor of the Mediterranean , lifting it from the seabed , and then above sea level , making the island of Cyprus .