Name: __________________________ Date: _____________________

U.S. History & Government – 7th Grade Westbury Middle School

The Bering Strait Land Bridge

The last great ice age began about 75,000 years ago when the earth ’s c l imate cooled

and g laciers (giant ice sheets formed from river and ocean waters) covered northern continents. Glacier

formation lowered ocean levels and exposed a strip of land 1,000 miles wide between Asia and North America.

For a long time this land, called the Bering land bridge, connected Asia and Alaska.

The Bering Land Bridge made poss ib le one of the most important human

migrations in h istory . Scientists believe the first immigrants (settlers) crossed the Bering Land Bridge

from Siberia into what is now Alaska. This land bridge is now covered by the Bering Strait. Over time, the

people moved southward and then spread to the east.

It is believed that these people were hunters. They followed

herds of animals across the bridge in order to have food. Scientists

have called them Clovis people. They are noted for the ancient weapon

that they made, called a Clovis point. It was a pointed stone blade that

was made into an arrow or spear. These artifacts were first found near

Clovis, New Mexico.

Questions remain about how and when the first Americans

arrived. What appears more certain—from the discovery of chiseled spearheads and charred bones at

ancient sites—is that the earliest Americans lived as hunters. Perhaps their most challenging and

rewarding prey was the mammoth. Weighing more than seven tons, this animal provided meat, hide, and

bones for food, clothing, shelters, and tools.

Following the game (animals): Eventually, large animals like the mammoth were over- hunted and

became extinct. Hunters soon turned to smaller prey, such as deer and rabbits, for their survival. They

also fished and gathered edible plants and fruits. Because they were hunters, the earliest Americans

found it necessary to move regularly in search of food. Whenever they did settle in one place for a

short time, prehistoric Americans lived in caves or temporary shelters in the open air.

With the end of the Ice Age, around 12,000 to 10,000 years ago, came the end of land travel

across Beringia. As the great glaciers melted, sea levels rose. The ancient land bridge disappeared under

the Bering Strait. By this time, however, humans inhabited most regions of the Americas. Wherever they

roamed, from the grassy plains of the modern-day United States to the steamy tropical forests of

Central America, the first Americans adapted to the variety of environments they inhabited. In doing so,

they carved out unique ways of life.

Part 2: Questions

1. Movement: Why do you think many early people continued to migrate south throughout the Americas instead of settling in what is now Alaska? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. The early people who crossed the Bering Land Bridge came from: Europe South America Siberia (Asia) North America

A T L A N T I CO C E A N

P A C I F I CO C E A N

A R C T I C O C E A N

MississippiR.

Amazon R.

N O R T HA M E R I C A

A S I A

S O U T HA M E R I C A

ROCKYM

OU

NT

AIN

S

AN

DE

S

MO

UN

TA

INS

B e r i n g i a

Clovis, New Mexico9500 B.C.

Monte Verde, Chile10,500 B.C.

Meadowcroft Rockshelter,Pennsylvania

17,000 B.C.

Broken Mammoth, Alaska11,800 B.C.

40°S

40°N

Tropic of Capricorn

Tropic of Cancer

40°W 0°80°W

120°

W

160°

W

160°

E

0° Equator

Glacier ice, 12,000 B.C.

BeringiaPossible land migration routesPossible water migration routeFossil site

0 2,000 Miles

0 4,000 Kilometers

Migration Routes,40,000–10,000 B.C.

At the Meadowcroft Rockshelter site in Pennsylvania, pre-Clovis blades have been found that date back many thousands of years.

Spearheads similar to these were first discovered near Clovis, New Mexico, and later throughout North America. Many of these artifacts date back to around 9500 B.C.

Recent findings at Monte Verde, Chile, have provided evidence of human life in the Americas as early as 10,500 B.C.

Travelers across Beringia might have encountered landscapes such as this in Alaska.

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GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Maps1. Location What two continents does the Beringia land bridge connect?2. Movement From where do scholars believe the first Americans came? How did they come?

 

3. The Clovis people were noted for: a pointed weapon they made building boats artifacts found in Chile the discovery of gold 4. How did the earliest Americans adapt to the loss of large animals? Hunted deer & fish ate plants & animals Killed smaller prey all of the above

Part 3: note Taking Activity

The first settlers to the Americas came from Asia (Siberia) crossing the Bering Strait Land Bridge

Bering Strait Land

Bridge