Abstract
Paleontological and stratigraphical data indicate that a link between terminal southern South America and the Antarctic Peninsula probably was an irregularly narrow continuous land from Late Cretaceous (Campanian) through the Eocene period. In paleogeographical feature it is more like modern Isthmus of Panama. A paleoisthmus called the isthmus of Scotia is hypothesized as a type of connection between them. It lasted about 35 Ma and extended about 700–900 km long and 100–200 krn wide. This isthmus played an important role in biotic dispersal and migra-tion among South America, Antarctica, Australia and New Zealand blocks during this interval.
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Project supported by the Science and Technology Con~rnission, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 49572076).
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Yanbin, S. A paleoisthmus linking southern South America with the Antarctic Peninsula during Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary. Sci. China Ser. D-Earth Sci. 41, 225–229 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02973108
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02973108