A theory proposed by Andrey Tchepalyga of the Russian Academy of Sciences dates the flooding of the Black Sea basin to an earlier time and from a different cause. According to Tchepalyga, global warming beginning from about 16,000 years ago caused the melting of the Scandinavian ice sheet. This caused a massive river discharge which flowed into the Caspian Sea. The Caspian basin could not contain all the floodwater, which flowed into the ancient Black Sea basin. This would have flooded large areas that were previously settled or used for hunting. Tchepalyga suggests this may have formed the basis for legends of the great Deluge.