Central American Seaway

Central American Seaway

The Central American Seaway, also called the Panamanic Seaway or Inter-American Seaway was an ancient body of water that once separated North America from South America. It formed in the Mesozoic (200-154 mya) during the separation of the Pangaean supercontinent, and closed when the Panamanian isthmus was formed by volcanic activity in the late Pliocene (2.76-2.54 mya).

The closure of the Central American Seaway had tremendous effects on oceanic circulation and the biogeography of the adjacent seas, isolating many species and triggering speciation and diversification of tropical and sub-tropical marine fauna.

See also

*Paleoceanography


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Saint Lawrence River and Seaway — ▪ river, North America Introduction  hydrographic system of east central North America. It connects the North River (source of the St. Louis River, in the U.S. state of Minnesota, which flows into Lake Superior) with Cabot Strait, leading into… …   Universalium

  • Western Interior Seaway — during the mid Cretaceous, about 100 million years before the present The Western Interior Seaway, also called the Cretaceous Seaway, the Niobraran Sea, and the North American Inland Sea, was a huge inland sea that split the continent of North… …   Wikipedia

  • Tertiary Period — Interval of geologic time, 65–1. 8 million years ago. It constitutes the first of the two periods of the Cenozoic Era, the second being the Quaternary. The Tertiary has five subdivisions: (from oldest to youngest) the Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene …   Universalium

  • Megalodon — For other uses, see Megalodon (disambiguation). Megalodon Temporal range: Late Oligocene Early Pleistocene 28–1.5 Ma …   Wikipedia

  • Hawaiian monk seal — Conservation status Critically Endangered ( …   Wikipedia

  • Walrus — For other uses, see Walrus (disambiguation). Walrus[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Megalonyx — Temporal range: late Miocene to Pleistocene Megalonyx wheatleyi skeleton. Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Isthmus of Panama — The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking Central and South America. It was formed some 3 million years ago during the… …   Wikipedia

  • North America — North American. the northern continent of the Western Hemisphere, extending from Central America to the Arctic Ocean. Highest point, Mt. McKinley, 20,300 ft. (6187 m); lowest, Death Valley, 276 ft. (84 m) below sea level. 400,000,000 including… …   Universalium

  • Midwestern United States — Midwest redirects here. For other uses, see Midwest (disambiguation). Midwest as defined by U.S. Census Bureau The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”