Beringia (land bridge)
Beringia refers to a prehistoric land bridge that once connected Asia and North America, specifically in the area now known as the Bering Strait. This land bridge was exposed during the Pleistocene epoch when global sea levels dropped significantly, allowing for a continuous land connection that measured over 600 miles at its maximum width. Beringia featured a tundra-like climate and supported a variety of migratory Pleistocene animals, such as mammoths and reindeer, which attracted nomadic peoples from northeast Asia. These early inhabitants eventually migrated into North America, becoming the ancestors of present-day American Indian populations. Genetic and physical evidence indicates that Native Americans share a closer ancestry with Asian populations than with others, highlighting a rich tapestry of cultural and genetic diversity that evolved over time. The timing and number of migrations across Beringia remain subjects of debate, with estimates suggesting they may have occurred between 28,000 and 11,000 years ago. Understanding Beringia is crucial for comprehending the early human settlement of the Americas and the shared origins of diverse indigenous cultures.
Subject Terms
Beringia (land bridge)
Date: Late Pleistocene epoch, 25,000-12,000 b.c.e.
Location: Arctic Circle, North Atlantic, region between Siberia and Alaska
Cultures affected: All
Beringia is the name given to a land bridge that once existed in the region now known as the Bering Strait. It was periodically exposed toward the end of Pleistocene epoch, when water deposited through precipitation on the polar ice caps resulted in a lowering of global sea levels as much as 400 feet below what they are now. With the rise in global temperatures that occurred around 12,000 years ago, Beringia was submerged as sea levels rose.
Only about 60 miles separate Asia and North America in the Bering Strait today. At the time Beringia existed, the land between them was continuous. The land bridge at its maximum extent would have measured more than 600 miles wide from north to south, representing an expanse of territory indistinguishable from the areas of Siberia and Alaska it connected.
Warmed by the Japanese Current, Beringia had a tundra-like climate. It was occupied by migratory herds of Pleistocene animals, including mammoth, bison, and reindeer. These animals provided food and clothing for nomadic peoples of northeast Asia, who were drawn to the hunting grounds of Beringia. Over time, these peoples moved east and south into the North American continent, where they became the ancestors of American Indian populations.
The Asian ancestry of Native Americans is supported by dental patterns, blood group markers, and other physical and genetic characteristics which indicate that American Indians are more similar to Asians than to any other human populations. The wide diversity of indigenous physical types and languages found throughout the Americas resulted from the wide dispersion of the descendants of the original migrants. Cultural similarities between widely separated native populations of the Americas may be attributed to their ancient common origins.
Conflicting evidence has led to wide disagreement about the timing and number of migrations across Beringia, which may have occurred as early as 28,000 years ago or as late as 11,000 years ago. The vast majority of radiocarbon dates from secure archaeological contexts in the Americas favor migration dates in the latter half of this range.