What destroyed Beringia?

• A. Volcano eruption
• B. Glaciers melting
• C. Earthquake
• D. Sea level rise

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that a broad land connection between Asia and North America was lost when oceans rose, not by a single destructive event. Beringia formed during Ice Age times when sea levels were low and a land bridge stretched across what is now the Bering Strait. As the climate warmed and massive ice sheets melted, sea levels rose and flooded that shallow area. The resulting rise in ocean water covered the land bridge, turning it into sea and severing the connection between the continents. This is why sea level rise is the best explanation. Local volcanic eruptions or earthquakes can cause damage in one place, but they don’t globally submerge a wide land bridge; melting glaciers driving rising seas did.