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Map of Ancient Beringia
Click to enlarge
Beringia
Beringia was the ancient land bridge that connected Russia with
Alaska and allowed migration into North America.
That is, migration of humans, plants,
and animals.
When Was All That?
Around 20,000 years ago.
Why Did the Beringia Land Bridge Appear?
Thanks to the Ice Age, sea levels dropped enormously. During the
late Ice Age, temperatures were warm enough for humans to travel,
while sea levels were beginning to rise but still low enough to
leave a land bridge exposed.
Alaska was largely ice-free during the
late Ice Age.
The oldest known human settlements in
Alaska date to approx. 13,700 years ago. However, some human
settlements further south, in Chile for example, date to 14,000
years ago.
The Clovis culture was hunting up and
down the Great Plains around
13,200 years ago.
After Whom Is the Beringia Land Bridge Named?
Ancient Beringia, the Bering Strait, the Bering Sea, and the Bering
Shelf, are all named after
Vitus Bering, a Danish explorer,
who was working for the Russians.
It was Russia's
Tsar Peter I the Great who
commissioned Bering's Arctic expedition at the end of 1724 / early
1725.
Further
See also
How Close is Alaska to Russia?
(also on that page more about the
Upward Sun River site)
And Finally
This Mastodon Died Some 11,000 Years Ago in New York
American Museum of
Natural History
More History
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