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English Channel
The legendary crossing between France and England was once once low-lying tundra, sliced through by a skinny river. About 10,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age, melting created a giant pool at the south end of the North Sea. The mass of water inched its way across the flat lands to eventually drain into the Arctic Ocean 3,500 years later. This shallow passageway is known now as the English Channel, and has acted as a natural defense for both Britain and France. Fierce waves pounding the soft chalk walls of the Cliffs of Dover continue to widen the Channel, which is today one of Europe's most important transportation routes. |
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