Drake Passage Opens
c. 34 MYA · Prehistoric
Tectonic rifting separated Antarctica from South America, opening the Drake Passage and severing the final land bridge of ancient Gondwana. This gateway allowed ocean currents to circulate unimpeded around Antarctica, forming the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. The thermal isolation cut the continent off from warm equatorial waters, triggering extensive ice sheet growth and contributing to the Eocene-Oligocene climate transition roughly 33-34 million years ago.
Locations
Drake Passage
Topics
glaciationplate tectonicsocean circulationAntarctic Circumpolar CurrentGondwana breakupEocene-Oligocene transition
Connected Events — 3 Connections
Opening of the Drake Passage enabled circumpolar ocean currents that drove Antarctic glaciation and Oligocene cooling Oligocene Epoch begins
Opening of Drake Passage initiated global cooling that contributed to grassland-favorable arid conditions Miocene Grassland Ecosystems Spread Across Continents
Earth's tectonic evolution drove the rifting that separated Antarctica from South America Formation of Planet Earth
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