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______________ was an environmental change in east Africa during the Pliocene Ep

ID: 292972 • Letter: #

Question


______________ was an environmental change in east Africa during the Pliocene Epoch that was one cause for early hominid evolution.

The increased expansion of the tropical climate zones to high latitudes

The collision of Africa and North America plates

A drying climate and dense jungles giving way to open grasslands

The migration of glaciers into southern Europe

During global cooling events, many regions become drier as temperatures decrease because

ocean currents move water from polar regions to the equator during ice ages.

a larger percentage of grasslands are lost to invading trees and thus become forested.

less water evaporates from cooler sea surfaces.

none of the above.

The following change occurred during the late Miocene and early Pliocene Epochs.

Adaptive radiation of early Hominids such as Australopithecus

Appearance of modern grasses and herbs

The initial stage of formation of the Himalayan mountains

Rapid warming following the Younger Dryas event

The major tectonic activity during the Neogene Period that shaped the western portion of North America was the ________________.

isolation of Antarctica and expansion of the polar ice caps

formation of the Rocky Mountains

subduction of the Appalachian Mountains

accretion of small tectonic plates into the supercontinent Pangaea

The increased expansion of the tropical climate zones to high latitudes

The collision of Africa and North America plates

A drying climate and dense jungles giving way to open grasslands

The migration of glaciers into southern Europe

Explanation / Answer

A drying climate and dense jungles giving way to open grasslands. In East and South Africa, where most of the early hominins apparently lived, dry grasslands expanded at the expense of woodlands and forests.

less water evaporates from cooler sea surfaces.

Adaptive radiation of early Hominids such as Australopithecus

formation of the Rocky Mountains. The Rocky Mountains and the Andes Mountains formed in North and South America during this time.