Formation of the Isthmus of Panama: Response to Jaramillo et al

ODEA, A.; GASPARINI, G. M.; SOIBELZON E.; CIONE, A. L.; SOIBELZON L. H.

Science Advances

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Año: 2018

2375-2548

Jaramillo et al. (1) now agree that the modern-day Isthmus of Panama formed in the latePliocene but a consensus has yet to be reached (fig. 1). Jaramillo et al. (1) state that from ~15Ma until ~3.5 Ma the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) and Caribbean Sea were connected byintermittent water passages. If the implication were that shallow seawater connectionsoccurred continuously from ~15 Ma until final formation of the Isthmus in the late Pliocene,then their model is essentially the same as the one that has been accepted for over 40 years,and there is little left to debate(2). Instead, Jaramillo et al. (1)appear to argue that there werecomplete cessations of waterthat were long enough to havemajor biogeographicalconsequences. Does theevidence for intermittent landbridges during this time standto scrutiny?