Answer 1:
The Bering Strait first opened between 3,000,000 and 7,500,000 years ago.
As sea level changed, the area probably went back and forth between being a strait and being a land bridge between 70,000 and 11,000 years ago. When the land bridge Beringia was crossable, it was most likely not covered in ice. Instead, lots of the water that is now in the ocean was part of glaciers on land in other places, so sea levels were lower. This allowed the land bridge to be exposed.
In fact, the people who eventually crossed may have lived on the land bridge (which was about as wide as Texas) for thousands of years until the glaciers blocking the way into the rest of North America melted. They probably came over gradually some time between 20,000 and 15,000 years ago. |
Answer 3:
You are talking about Beringia, the land-bridge connecting North America to Asia, not the Bering Strait, which is the body of water now covering Beringia.
Beringia became covered by ocean about 11,000 years ago. Before then, it was possible to walk between the two continents.
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