This is a palaeotopographic exposed-land reconstruction, not a precise shoreline, settlement territory, or direct evidence of human movement. Cartographic smoothing is 7 km; the original quantitative analysis geometry remains separate.
A time map of land that later became the Bering Sea, 22,000–9,800 BP
Today, the Bering Sea separates northeastern Russia from Alaska. During the last Ice Age, however, large volumes of water were stored in continental ice sheets and sea level was lower than it is today. As a result, extensive land was exposed across parts of the present-day Bering Sea. This region is commonly called Beringia.
This map shows how Beringia’s exposed land changed from about 22,000 to 9,800 years ago. It allows you to explore when Chukotka, Beringia, and Alaska were connected by broad areas of land, and how those connections changed as sea level rose.
How to use the map
Move the slider to select a date at 100-year intervals. Press the play button to watch the change over time.
Three indicators appear on the map:
- Year BP: the selected age. BP means “Before Present.”
- Land area: the area of Beringian land exposed above sea level at that time.
- Sea level: a modelled sea-level value at a Bering Strait reference location. Negative values indicate sea level below the present reference level.
What the map shows
Near the end of the last Ice Age, lower sea levels exposed broad areas of land where the Bering Sea is today. As the climate warmed and ice sheets melted, sea level rose and the area of exposed land gradually decreased.
These changes show how the physical conditions linking eastern Siberia, Beringia, and Alaska changed through time. The map therefore provides important background for understanding environmental change and potential routes of movement in the North Pacific region.
How to interpret it
This map is a reconstruction of exposed land based on palaeotopography and sea-level change. It does not represent the exact position of ancient shorelines, and it does not directly show where people or animals travelled or lived.
In other words, the map provides environmental and geographic context for interpreting human and animal movement or settlement. Conclusions about movement and settlement should be evaluated together with archaeological, genetic, geological, and ecological evidence.
Data and method
This map is based on the Gowan/PaleoMIST palaeotopographic reconstruction. Land above sea level was classified as exposed land at each time step, shown at 100-year intervals from 22,000 to 9,800 BP. The boundaries were smoothed for map presentation. For quantitative analysis, such as calculating area, the separately preserved original analysis geometry should be consulted.