USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Bering Land Bridge formed during the glacial periods of the last 2.5 million years. Every time an ice age began, a large proportion of the world’s water got locked up in massive continental ice sheets. This draw-down of the world’s liquid water supply caused major drops in sea level: up to 328’ (100 m) or more.

Detailed explanation-2: -The land bridge measured about 1, 000 miles north-to-south at its maximum extent. Climate change at the end of the Ice Age caused the glaciers to melt, flooding Beringia about 10, 000 to 11, 000 years ago and closing the land bridge.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Bering Strait was a land bridge during the peak of the last ice age (the Last Glacial Maximum, LGM), when sea level was  130 m lower than today. This study reconstructs the history of sea level at the Bering Strait by tracing the influence of Pacific waters in the Arctic Ocean.

Detailed explanation-4: -The land beneath the Bering Strait became exposed and a flat grassy treeless plain emerged connecting Asia to North America. This exposed land stretched one thousand miles from north to south. As the ice age ended and the earth began to warm, glaciers melted and sea level rose.

Detailed explanation-5: -A common misconception is that the Bering Strait freezes in the winter time and it is easy to walk across the ice. In reality there is a strong current flowing north through the strait which usually creates large channels of open water.