mother nature: Bering Strait

Sunday, July 9, 2017

Bering Strait

The Bering Strait (Russian: Берингов пролив, Beringov proliv, Yupik: Imakpik) is a strait connecting the Pacificand Arctic oceans between Russia and the United States. Named after Vitus Bering, a Danish-born explorer in the service of the Russian Empire, it lies slightly south of theArctic Circle at about 65° 40' N latitude, with the present Russia-US east-west boundary at 168° 58' 37" W.

The Strait has been the subject of scientific speculation that humans migrated from Asia to North America across a land bridge known as Beringia when lower ocean levels – perhaps a result of glaciers locking up vast amounts of water – exposed a wide stretch of the sea floor, both at the present strait and in the shallow sea north and south of it. This view of how Paleo-Indians entered America has been the dominant one for several decades and continues to be the most accepted one.

The Bering Strait is about 82 kilometres (51 mi) wide at its narrowest point, between Cape Dezhnev, Chukchi Peninsula, Russia, the easternmost point (169° 43' W) of the Asiancontinent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, United States, the westernmost point (168° 05' W) of the North American continent. Its depth varies between 30 metres (98 ft) and 50 metres (160 ft). It connects the Chukchi Sea (part of the Arctic Ocean) to the north with the Bering Sea (part of the Pacific Ocean) to the south.

The Diomede Islands (/ˌdaɪ.əˈmiːdiː/; Russian: острова́ Диоми́да, ostrová Diomída), also known in Russia as Gvozdev Islands (Russian: острова́ Гво́здева, ostrová Gvozdjeva), consist of two rocky, mesa-like islands:The Diomede Islands are located in the middle of the Bering Strait between mainland Alaska and Siberia

The Russian island of Big Diomede (part of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug), also known as Imaqliq, Inaliq, Nunarbuk or Ratmanov Island
The American island of Little Diomede or, in its native language, Ignaluk, also known as Krusenstern Island.