Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Once linking the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific, the vast Tethys Seaway vanished under tectonic pressure.
Africa’s slow collision with Eurasia kicked off a cascade of climate and geographic upheaval.
Credit: NASA
As the seaway closed, ocean circulation patterns changed, throwing global ecosystems off balance.
Mantle heat uplifted East Africa and Arabia, forming new land routes where sea once dominated.
The Gomphotherium Land Bridge let animals—and eventually humans—cross continents with ease.
Representative pic
The drying of North Africa and rerouting of ocean currents turned lush land into the Sahara.
Asia’s monsoon grew stronger, drenching Southeast Asia while reshaping plant and animal life.
The vanished seaway became today’s Mediterranean and Arabian Seas—mere echoes of a giant ocean.
Tectonic grind still pushes up mountains and shakes the Earth—proof the shift never really ended.