Hortensia de los Santos
Author, Researcher, Theorist

Reevaluating Early Human Migration

Evidence for a South to North Population Movement Through the Drake Passage into the Americas

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Abstract

Traditional models of human migration into the Americas posit an entry via Beringia around 15,000 to 20,000 years ago, followed by a southward expansion. However, recent discoveries, including evidence from Monte Verde (Chile), Pedra Furada (Brazil), and Santa Elina (Brazil), suggest significantly earlier human presence in South America (~30,000 years ago or more).

This paper examines the possibility of an alternative migration route, hypothesizing that early humans may have entered South America first, potentially using an Antarctic-to-South America pathway via the Drake Passage, before migrating northward.

We integrate paleoclimatic data, oceanographic models, and fossilization rates to assess the feasibility of this hypothesis, considering pre-Younger Dryas flooding events and paleontological gaps caused by extreme environmental shifts.

1. Introduction

• 1.1 Traditional Beringia Hypothesis
  • The widely accepted model suggests humans entered North America via Beringia, around 15,000 years ago.
  • Evidence includes genetic studies linking Native Americans with Siberian populations.
• 1.2 Challenges to the Beringia-First Model
Key sites challenging the model include:
• - Monte Verde (~14,500 years ago, Chile)
• - Pedra Furada (~50,000 years ago, Brazil)
• - Santa Elina (~27,000 years ago, Brazil)

These findings suggest a need to explore alternative routes into South America.

• 1.3 The Need for an Alternative Model
• If South America was inhabited earlier than 15,000 years ago, then migration via Beringia alone does not explain this pattern.
• The potential role of Antarctica and the Drake Passage as a migration route remains unexplored.
• This study examines whether early humans could have entered South America first, migrating northward to North America.

2. Geological & Climatic Feasibility

• 2.1 Paleogeography of Antarctica & South America (~50,000 to 20,000 years ago)
• Before 34 million years ago, Antarctica had a warmer climate, supporting forests and animal life.
• By 50,000 years ago, Antarctica was fully glaciated, but potential ice-free coastal refuges may have existed.
• 2.2 Ocean Currents and Possible Seafaring Migration
  • Early humans were maritime-adapted and reached Australia by 50,000 years ago.
  • Could they have also reached Antarctica and South America?
  • The Antarctic Circumpolar Current presents navigational challenges, but Polynesian-style drift voyaging may have been possible.
• 2.3 The Younger Dryas & Preservation of Early Sites
  • The Younger Dryas Floods (~12,800 years ago) would have destroyed early human sites. This would explain the lack of fossilized human remains from before 20,000 years ago.

3. Fossilization Rate Analysis

• 3.1 Estimating the Probability of Fossilized Human Remains
  • Fossilization is extremely rare (~0.01% or less of individuals are preserved).
  • The Younger Dryas Flooding likely reduced fossilization rates even further (~10x reduction).
• 3.2 Where Should We Expect Fossil Evidence?
  • Potential locations for fossil evidence:
    • - Cave systems in Patagonia (southern Chile & Argentina)
    • - Submerged coastal regions of South America
    • - Antarctic Peninsula (if ice-free refuges existed)
    • - Drake Passage Islands (e.g., South Georgia, Falkland Islands)

4. Alternative Historical & Maritime Evidence

• 4.1 The Piri Reis Map & Theories of Pre-Ice Age Navigation
  • Some researchers speculate that the Piri Reis Map (1513 CE) shows an ice-free Antarctica.
  • Could early humans have mapped or migrated along the Antarctic coast?
• 4.2 Polynesian & South American Contact
  • Polynesians reached South America before Europeans (~1000 CE), suggesting early long-distance oceanic migration was possible.
  • Could similar navigation methods have been used thousands of years earlier?

5. Conclusion & Future Research Directions

• 5.1 Summary of the Hypothesis
  • South America shows signs of early human presence (~30,000 years ago or earlier).
  • Traditional Beringia-first models do not fully explain these findings.
  • An Antarctic-South American migration route via the Drake Passage is feasible if:
    • - Early humans had seafaring capabilities.
    • - Ice-free refuges existed in coastal Antarctica.
    • - Fossil evidence was later destroyed or submerged.
• 5.2 Predictions for Future Archaeological Research
  • Future research should focus on:
    • - LIDAR scanning of Antarctica for buried settlements.
    • - Searching for submerged pre-Younger Dryas sites near Patagonia.
    • - Genetic studies linking South American populations to unexpected lineages.