The Isthmus of Panama (Spanish: Istmo de Panamá), also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien (Istmo de Darién),[1][2] is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country of Panama and the Panama Canal. Like many isthmuses, it is a location of great geopolitical and strategic importance.
The Isthmus of Panama
The isthmus is thought to have been formed around 3 million years ago,[3] separating the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and causing the creation of the Gulf Stream. This was first suggested in 1910 by North American paleontologist Henry Fairfield Osborn. He based the proposal on the fossil record of mammals in Central America.[4] This conclusion provided a foundation for Alfred Wegener when he proposed the theory of continental drift in 1912.[5]
Vasco Núñez de Balboa heard of the South Sea from natives while sailing along the Caribbean coast.[6] On 25 September 1513 his expedition became the first Europeans to see the Pacific Ocean from the Americas. In 1519 the town of Panamá was founded near a small indigenous settlement on the Pacific coast. After the Spanish colonization of Peru, it developed into an important port of trade and became an administrative centre. In 1671 the WelshprivateerHenry Morgan crossed the Isthmus of Panamá from the Caribbean side and destroyed the city. The town was relocated some kilometers to the west at a small peninsula. The ruins of the old town, Panamá Viejo, are preserved and were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
The California Gold Rush, starting in 1849, brought a large increase in the transportation of people from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Steamships brought gold diggers from eastern US ports, who trekked across the isthmus by foot, horse, and later rail. On the Pacific side, they boarded Pacific Mail Steamship Company vessels headed for San Francisco.[citation needed]
The closure of the Isthmus led to allopatric speciation events of marine organisms isolated on each side (blue and green). Terrestrial species also migrated between the two continents (the Great American Biotic Interchange) upon the formation of a passable land bridge.
A significant body of water (referred to as the Central American Seaway) once separated the continents of North and South America, allowing the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to mix freely. Beneath the surface, two plates of the Earth's crust were slowly colliding, forcing the Cocos Plate to slide under the Caribbean Plate. The pressure and heat caused by this collision led to the formation of underwater volcanoes, some of which grew large enough to form islands. Meanwhile, movement of the two tectonic plates was also pushing up the sea floor, eventually forcing some areas above sea level.
Over time, massive amounts of sediment from North and South America filled the gaps between the newly forming islands. Over millions of years, the sediment deposits added to the islands until the gap was completely filled. By no later than 4.5 million years ago, an isthmus had formed between North and South America. However, an article in Science magazine stated that zircon crystals in middle Miocene bedrock from northern Colombia indicated that by 10 million years ago, it is likely that instead of islands, a full isthmus between the North and South American continents had already formed where the Central American Seaway had been previously.[8] A genomic study of army ants also tends to confirm that the isthmus emerged millions of years earlier than had long been thought.[9]
Evidence also suggests that the creation of this land mass and the subsequent warm, wet weather over northern Europe resulted in the formation of a large Arctic ice cap and contributed to the current ice age. That warm currents can lead to glacier formation may seem counterintuitive, but heated air flowing over the warm Gulf Stream can hold more moisture. The result is increased precipitation that contributes to snow pack.[citation needed]
The formation of the Isthmus of Panama also played a major role in biodiversity on the planet. The bridge made it easier for animals and plants to migrate between the two continents. This event is known in paleontology as the Great American Interchange. For instance, in North America, the opossum, armadillo, and porcupine all trace back to ancestors that came across the land bridge from South America. Likewise, bears, cats, dogs, horses, llamas, and raccoons all made the trek south across the isthmus.
Biosphere
As the connecting bridge between two vast land masses, the Panamanian biosphere is filled with overlapping fauna and flora from both North and South America. There are, for example, over 978 species of birds in the isthmus area.[10] The tropical climate also encourages a myriad of large and brightly colored species, insects, amphibians, birds, fish, and reptiles. Divided along its length by a mountain range, the isthmus's weather is generally wet on the Atlantic (Caribbean) side but has a clearer division into wet and dry seasons on the Pacific side.
Angehr, G. R.; Dean, R. (2010). The Birds of Panama: A Field Guide. Zona Tropical Publication. Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell University Press. ISBN978-0801476747.
Montes, C.; Cardona, A.; Jaramillo, C.; Pardo, A.; Silva, J. C.; Valencia, V. (2015). "Middle Miocene Closure of the Central American Seaway". Science. 348 (6231): 226–229. Bibcode:2015Sci...348..226M. doi:10.1126/science.aaa2815. PMID 25859042.
"North and South America Came Together Much Earlier Than Thought: Study". NBC News. Reuters. 9 April 2015.
O'Dea, A.; Lessios, H. A.; Coates, A. G.; Eytan, R. I.; Restrepo-Moreno, S. A.; Cione, A. L. (2016). "Formation of the Isthmus of Panama". Science Advances. 2 (8): e1600883. Bibcode:2016SciA....2E0883O. doi:10.1126/sciadv.1600883. PMC4988774. PMID 27540590.
Osborn, H. F. (1910). The Age of Mammals. Macmillan.
Wafer, L. (1729). . Scotland: James Knapton. Archived from the original on 3 July 2007. Excerpt from the 1729 Knapton edition
Wegener, A. (2003) [1912]. Translated by Roland von Huene. "The Origins of Continents" (PDF). Milestones in Geosciences. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer: 4–17. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-08763-3_1. ISBN978-3-642-07919-1. (Original German article from 1912 with English translation from 2003.)
External links
Media related to Isthmus of Panama at Wikimedia Commons
January 31, 2023
isthmus, panama, coordinates, spanish, istmo, panamá, also, historically, known, isthmus, darien, istmo, darién, narrow, strip, land, that, lies, between, caribbean, pacific, ocean, linking, north, south, america, contains, country, panama, panama, canal, like. Coordinates 8 40 N 80 0 W 8 667 N 80 000 W 8 667 80 000 The Isthmus of Panama Spanish Istmo de Panama also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien Istmo de Darien 1 2 is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean linking North and South America It contains the country of Panama and the Panama Canal Like many isthmuses it is a location of great geopolitical and strategic importance The Isthmus of Panama The isthmus is thought to have been formed around 3 million years ago 3 separating the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and causing the creation of the Gulf Stream This was first suggested in 1910 by North American paleontologist Henry Fairfield Osborn He based the proposal on the fossil record of mammals in Central America 4 This conclusion provided a foundation for Alfred Wegener when he proposed the theory of continental drift in 1912 5 Contents 1 History 2 Geology 3 Biosphere 4 See also 5 References 5 1 Citations 5 2 General sources 6 External linksHistory EditMain article History of Panama Nunez de Balboa s travel route to the South Sea 1513 An 1850 oil painting by Charles Christian Nahl The Isthmus of Panama on the Height of the Chagres River Vasco Nunez de Balboa heard of the South Sea from natives while sailing along the Caribbean coast 6 On 25 September 1513 his expedition became the first Europeans to see the Pacific Ocean from the Americas In 1519 the town of Panama was founded near a small indigenous settlement on the Pacific coast After the Spanish colonization of Peru it developed into an important port of trade and became an administrative centre In 1671 the Welsh privateer Henry Morgan crossed the Isthmus of Panama from the Caribbean side and destroyed the city The town was relocated some kilometers to the west at a small peninsula The ruins of the old town Panama Viejo are preserved and were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 Silver and gold from the viceroyalty of Peru were transported overland across the isthmus by Spanish Silver Train to Porto Bello where Spanish treasure fleets shipped them to Seville and Cadiz from 1707 Lionel Wafer spent four years between 1680 and 1684 among the Kuna or Guna Indians 7 Scotland tried to establish a settlement in 1698 through the Darien scheme The California Gold Rush starting in 1849 brought a large increase in the transportation of people from the Atlantic to the Pacific Steamships brought gold diggers from eastern US ports who trekked across the isthmus by foot horse and later rail On the Pacific side they boarded Pacific Mail Steamship Company vessels headed for San Francisco citation needed Ferdinand de Lesseps the developer of the Suez Canal started a Panama Canal Company in 1880 that went bankrupt in 1889 in the Panama scandals In 1902 1904 the United States forced Colombia to grant independence to the Department of the Isthmus bought the remaining assets of the Panama Canal Company and finished the canal in 1914 citation needed Geology Edit The closure of the Isthmus led to allopatric speciation events of marine organisms isolated on each side blue and green Terrestrial species also migrated between the two continents the Great American Biotic Interchange upon the formation of a passable land bridge A significant body of water referred to as the Central American Seaway once separated the continents of North and South America allowing the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to mix freely Beneath the surface two plates of the Earth s crust were slowly colliding forcing the Cocos Plate to slide under the Caribbean Plate The pressure and heat caused by this collision led to the formation of underwater volcanoes some of which grew large enough to form islands Meanwhile movement of the two tectonic plates was also pushing up the sea floor eventually forcing some areas above sea level Over time massive amounts of sediment from North and South America filled the gaps between the newly forming islands Over millions of years the sediment deposits added to the islands until the gap was completely filled By no later than 4 5 million years ago an isthmus had formed between North and South America However an article in Science magazine stated that zircon crystals in middle Miocene bedrock from northern Colombia indicated that by 10 million years ago it is likely that instead of islands a full isthmus between the North and South American continents had already formed where the Central American Seaway had been previously 8 A genomic study of army ants also tends to confirm that the isthmus emerged millions of years earlier than had long been thought 9 Evidence also suggests that the creation of this land mass and the subsequent warm wet weather over northern Europe resulted in the formation of a large Arctic ice cap and contributed to the current ice age That warm currents can lead to glacier formation may seem counterintuitive but heated air flowing over the warm Gulf Stream can hold more moisture The result is increased precipitation that contributes to snow pack citation needed The formation of the Isthmus of Panama also played a major role in biodiversity on the planet The bridge made it easier for animals and plants to migrate between the two continents This event is known in paleontology as the Great American Interchange For instance in North America the opossum armadillo and porcupine all trace back to ancestors that came across the land bridge from South America Likewise bears cats dogs horses llamas and raccoons all made the trek south across the isthmus Biosphere EditAs the connecting bridge between two vast land masses the Panamanian biosphere is filled with overlapping fauna and flora from both North and South America There are for example over 978 species of birds in the isthmus area 10 The tropical climate also encourages a myriad of large and brightly colored species insects amphibians birds fish and reptiles Divided along its length by a mountain range the isthmus s weather is generally wet on the Atlantic Caribbean side but has a clearer division into wet and dry seasons on the Pacific side See also EditDarien Gap Gulf of Darien Isthmo Colombian Area Postage stamps and postal history of the Canal ZoneReferences EditCitations Edit BBC History British History in depth The Darien Venture www bbc co uk The Darien Scheme Historic UK O Dea et al 2016 Abstract Osborn 1910 pp 80 81 Wegener 1912harvnb error no target CITEREFWegener1912 help Andagoya Pascual de 21 June 1865 Narrative of the Proceedings of Pedrarias Davila The Hakluyt Society via Wikisource Wafer 1729 Montes et al 2015 Golembiewski Kate 25 October 2016 Ant Genomics Help Reshape Biological History of the Americas Retrieved 8 January 2022 Angehr amp Dean 2010 General sources Edit Angehr G R Dean R 2010 The Birds of Panama A Field Guide Zona Tropical Publication Comstock Publishing Associates Cornell University Press ISBN 978 0801476747 Montes C Cardona A Jaramillo C Pardo A Silva J C Valencia V 2015 Middle Miocene Closure of the Central American Seaway Science 348 6231 226 229 Bibcode 2015Sci 348 226M doi 10 1126 science aaa2815 PMID 25859042 North and South America Came Together Much Earlier Than Thought Study NBC News Reuters 9 April 2015 O Dea A Lessios H A Coates A G Eytan R I Restrepo Moreno S A Cione A L 2016 Formation of the Isthmus of Panama Science Advances 2 8 e1600883 Bibcode 2016SciA 2E0883O doi 10 1126 sciadv 1600883 PMC 4988774 PMID 27540590 Osborn H F 1910 The Age of Mammals Macmillan Wafer L 1729 A New Voyage and Description of the Isthmus of America 1695 Scotland James Knapton Archived from the original on 3 July 2007 Excerpt from the 1729 Knapton edition Wegener A 2003 1912 Translated by Roland von Huene The Origins of Continents PDF Milestones in Geosciences Berlin Heidelberg Springer 4 17 doi 10 1007 978 3 662 08763 3 1 ISBN 978 3 642 07919 1 Original German article from 1912 with English translation from 2003 External links Edit Media related to Isthmus of Panama at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Isthmus of Panama amp oldid 1121361703, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
