The formation of a large overpass 20 million years ago connected continents, influenced climate, separated oceans, and changed the course of evolution. According to recent papers published in Nature reviews the Earth and the environment, researchers from various disciplines such as plate tectonics, evolutionary anthropology, and climate research provide a comprehensive summary of the closure of the Tethys Seaway.
About 30 million years ago, the Earth looked drastically different. Africa was isolated from other continents, and the vast Thetis Ocean extended from the Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific oceans through the present-day Mediterranean.
However, approximately 20 million years ago, the first land bridge formed between Africa and Asia, dividing the Tethys Sea into the Mediterranean and Arabian Seas.
This land bridge allowed mammals like ancestors, giraffes, and elephants to migrate from Africa to Asia and Europe, influencing the evolution of both land and sea creatures and plants.
Scientists explain how they believe this land bridge was created. Around 50-60 million years ago, rock slabs descended into the Earth’s mantle, forming “conveyor belts” for hot rocks to rise in underground plumes.
About 30 million years later, these hot rocks reached the surface when tectonic plates collided, leading to the uplift of land that connected Africa for the first time in 75 million years.
According to Eivind Straume, a leading author of the study, the formation of this land bridge had a significant impact on continental configurations and evolutionary paths of animals migrating between Africa and Asia.
Researchers suggest that the closure of the Tethys Seaway has affected global climate, causing desertification in the Sahara, intensifying monsoon seasons in Southeast Asia, and enhancing marine biodiversity.
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Source: www.sciencefocus.com
