Land bridge
Land bridge is essentially a historical term: it refers to dry land exposed during periods of low
sea level, connecting what are now separate
continents or
islands. The best-known is the
Bering Land Bridge, which connected
Asia and
North America during the last
ice age, enabling humans to migrate to the Americas by walking. Another land bridge connected
Great Britain to
Europe at around the same time.
Land bridges generally occur on continental shelves: the Bering Strait, where the Bering Land Bridge was during the last glaciation, is part of the edge of the North American plate.