Panama isthmus rise at 4.2-3.5 Ma @flmnh.ufl.edu Thermohaline Circulation Orange=warm shallow waters Blue=cold deep waters Broecker et al 1987; Lozier 2010 NHG at 2.7 Ma Artic glaciation, Gulf Stream BIRTH OF CARIBBEAN SEA Caribbean non-seasonal nutrient-poor high-carbonates (corals) Pacific Seasonality rich in nutrients low carbonates (few corals) GABI Pacific Caribbean CA SA 3.5Ma Classic “Panamanian Isthmus Rise” Literature (more than 1800 citations over past 30 years) Title Author/Publication Total citations Total citations Date (Web of Knowledge) (Google Scholar) The geology of the Darien, Panama, and the late Miocene- Pliocene collision of the Panama Arc with northwestern South America Coates et al., 2004 84 100 Early Neogene history of the Central American arc from Bocas del Toro, western Panama Coates et al., 2003 43 41 Effect of the formation of the Isthmus of Panama on Atlantic Ocean thermohaline circulation Haugh, 1998 356 408 The geologic evolution of the Central American isthmus Coates & Obando, 1996 - 460 Closure of the Isthmus of Panamá: The near-shore marine record of Costa Rica and western Panama Coates et al., 1992 - 306 The Choco Block in the Northwestern corner of South America: structural, tectonostratigraphic and paleogeographic implications Duque, 1990 - 78 Neogene stratigraphy, paleoceanography and paleobiogeography in northwest South America and evolution of the Pama Seaway Duque, 1990 181 217 The great American biotic interchange Stehli & Webb, 1985 - 258 Splendid Isolation: The Curious History of South American Mammals Simpson, 1983 - 366 Pliocene closing of the Isthmus of Panama, based on biostratigraphic evidence from nearby Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea cores Lloyd, 1978 - 222 “no vicariant date [3.5 Ma] is better dated than the Isthmus (Lessios et al 2008)” @Ziegler photos by C. Ziegler Thermochronology Panama block initial collision with South America, initial uplift eastern Andes northern 10-12 42-46 South America 23-25 Farris et al 2011 Montes et al 2012 ~16 Ma CANAL BASIN (central Panama) The very shallow crystallization depth of Late basalt indicates no exhumation since the Miocene, or at the very least burial=exhumation .Farris, et al in review Montes et al 2015 By 13 Ma sediments from Panama arc reached fluvial Systems of Western Colombia Montes et al 2015 Lowland flora Barro Colorado Island 50ha plot BCI Extant Panama Canal Az Miocene Az Lowland pollen flora Cucaracha & Culebra Fm Early Miocene (~18 Ma) Panama Canal Jaramillo et al 2014 Guazuma and Pentaclaris wood (Malvaceae) Early Miocene (~18.5 Ma) @Ziegler Rodriguez et al, 2014 A 20 million year old rainforests based on permineralized fruits and seeds from the Cucaracha Formation Lauraceae Parinari Juglandaceae Sacoglottis Spondias Vitaceae Annonaceae Herrera et al, in press Boa constrictor (SA->CA), Cucaracha, Early Miocene Head et al 2012 FRESH-WATER TURTLES, EARLY MIOCENE, CUCARACHA/CULEBRA NA->CA NA->CA TESTUDINES CRYPTODIRA Kinosternidae Staurotypus moschus new species Early-middle Miocene Cucaracha Formation Estimated carapace length: 27cm NA->CA TESTUDINES CRYPTODIRA Cadena et. al. 2012 Trionychidae Incertae sedis Early-middle Miocene Cucaracha Formation SA->CA TESTUDINES TESTUDINES PLEURODIRA Podocnemididae Incertae sedis CRYPTODIRA Early Miocene Geoemydidae Culebra Formation, Panama Rhinoclemmys panamaensis new speies Estimated large size of the shell: Early-middle Miocene 100 cm. Cucaracha Formation, Panama Estimated carapace length: 41 cm. Cadena et. al. 2012 Culebrasuchus mesoamericanus Sister taxa to all Caimaninae SA->CA Crocodiles EARLY MIOCENE cf. Purussaurus sp SA->CA Hasting et. al. 2012 Mammal paleofaunas of Cascadas Fm (21 Ma) Modified from Rincon et al. (2013) Mammal paleofaunas of Cucarachas Fm (18.9 Ma) Modified from Rincon et al. (2013) The colonization of Central America by South American Pristimantis involved at least 11 independent events. At least 8 of these invasions into CA took place prior to 4 Ma, mainly in the Miocene (6-14Ma) rain frogs, largely restricted to moist, forested habitats part of of SA clade Terrarana Pinto et al, 2012 There is a strong increase in migration starting ~10/12 Ma Bacon et al, 2015 Bacon et al, 2015 Bacon et al, 2015 Montes et al 2012 ~21 Ma CAS Coates et al 2004 Very similar models but our model 1)quantify the width of seaway (~200km) and 2)terrestrial fossils indicate a continuous land connection of canal basin with NA Montes et al 2012 ~10 Ma No CAS Coates et al 2004 No CAS Both models show a collision of SA & Panama microplate by 10 Ma CAS connection is closed The collision of Panama Indenter produces a tear across the Andes, The Caldas Tear, that starts ~10 Ma Vargas and Mann 2013 Deep benthic foraminifera Site 502 By late Miocene, already separated Site 503 MDS 1.0 0.5 ] 2 2 , [ s n t n o i i o 0.0 s p $ n d r e o m i D -0.5 Pleistocene Site 502 (Caribbean) Pliocene -1.0 Site 503 (Pacific) Messinian -1.0 -0.5 0.0 0.5 1.0 Dimeordn$sipooinnts[ ,11] *After McDougall’s (1996) taxonomical identification Data after McDougall (1996) Gazel et al 2015 Gazel et al 2015 CAS paleoceanographic models author CAS depth (m) CAS width (Km) Mikolajewicz and Browley 1997 2100 90 Steph et al 2006 800 200 Scheider and Schmittner 2006 130;700;2000 450 Murdock et al 1997 3600 700 Nisancioglu et al 2003 1000;2700 840 Butzin et al 2011 250;500;1000;3000 900 Prange and Schulz, 2004 700 1000 Klocker et al 2005 700 1000 Steph et al 2010 700 1000 Lunt et al 2008 370 1400 Maier-Reimer et al 1990 2711 1700 Mikolajewicz et al 1993 2711 1700 Heydt & Dijkstra 2005 5000 2500 Heydt & Dijkstra 2006 5000 2500 Nof and van Gorder 2003 2500 CAS -400km wide Surface waters -Along a A->P parallel Intermediate waters P->A -Net Flow P->A -reduces salinity of A -slows down AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Deep waters Circulation) P->A Sepulchre et al 2014 NET FLOW P->A NO 7.8Sv ---------- Sill 1500m deep AMOC 5.4Sv----------- Sill 500m 0.4Sv----------- Sill 200m AMOC -3.8Sv---------- Sill 50M Major drop in P-A flow exchange once a 200m deep CAS is reached Comparing Nd, empirical vs model Sepulchre et al 2014 Poore et al 2005 Onset significant NCW Nevertheles, P-C water exchange still continued until 4.2 Ma Haug et al 2001 >50m Neogene Eustatic Sea level Hardenbol et al 1998 Northern hemisphere glaciation (NHG) CAS closure, End of permanent El Nino, CO2 threshold, cooling of Antarctica, unknown mechanism Empirical example of a massive biological invasion NA SA GABI revisited Mammals 2.7 TRF Dry Forest Savanna Desert MAP 1500mm MAT 28C ITCZ NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-11) ITZC And Ice Caps ITZC & Andes Isthmus open low Sepulchre in progress 402 ppm, Jun 1/2014 .