Geochronology and Landscape Development Along the Middle Río Quequén Grande at the Paso Otero Locality, Pampa Interserrana, Argentina

Abstract

The Paso Otero Locality is a cluster of archaeological sites within the middle Río Quequén Grande basin located in the northern coastal plain of Argentina. The valley fill is Holocene alluvial, eolian, and palustrine sediment, including the top of the Guerrero Member (∼10,000 14C yr B.P.), upper Río Salado Member (∼3000 14C yr B.P.), and lower La Postrera Formation (∼2400 14C yr B.P.). Regional soils include the Puesto Callejón Viejo (10,000 to 9400 14C yr B.P.) and the Puesto Berrondo (∼4800 14C yr B.P.). Radiocarbon sampling of buried A‐horizons on both sides of the river produced 17 dates considered reliable. The geoarchaeological information allows exploration of the implications for the formation of the archaeological record. Similar geological processes of differential intensity have resulted in contexts of different archaeological resolution and integrity. The Paso Otero Locality provides both a local and regional view of late Quaternary events and processes for the middle basin of the Río Quequén Grande.

Radiocarbon trends in the Pampean region (Argentina). Biases and demographic patterns during the final Late Pleistocene and Holocene

“…In this sense, dates obtained from organic material in sediments and soils were not considered since they provide an age of the sedimentary unit containing the archaeological materials. Though these dates can be reliable to estimate human occupation chronologies, they are not used herein because radiocarbon dates from organic material of buried soils can be obtained from bulk, humates, and residue fractions, and always need to be considered as minimal ages (Johnson et al, 2012). The same criteria were applied to radiocarbon dates obtained from gastropods deposited in sediments from archaeological contexts but whose anthropogenic origin (e.g., middens) was not clear.…”

“…Riverine areas yield high rates of fluvial, lacustrine and eolian sediments, under which high chronological resolution soils are generally buried (Z arate et al, 2000e2002;Favier Dubois, 2006;Johnson et al, 2012). The lagoon contexts also offer possibilities for recording sites of different chronologies (Madrid and Barrientos, 2000;Pal, 2007).…”

“…It is drained by streams, ponds, and watersheds flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. Archaeological sites are mainly located along riverine areas, which have long stratigraphic sequences with a high chronological resolution (Favier Dubois, 2006;Johnson et al, 2012).…”

Detailed fatty acids analysis on lithic tools, Cerro El Sombrero Cima, Argentina

“…In the Quequén Grande, several climatic pulses have been recorded and fluctuating climatic conditions inferred. A stable interval, following early human occupations, led to the development of the regional paleosol Puesto Callejón Viejo (Zárate et al, 2000;Gutiérrez et al, 2011;Martínez et al, 2013) which has been recently dated at Paso Otero archaeological locality giving ages of 10,000e9400 BP (Johnson et al, 2012).…”

Environmental dynamics and formation processes at the pampean archaeological locality Zanjón Seco, Argentina

“…Consequently, this article aims to address these shortcomings, offering an updated synthesis of the information obtained at the Zanjón Seco locality and presenting the results of recent geoarchaeological research performed in that sector of the Quequén Grande River valley. Other geoarchaeological studies carried out in this valley concern the neighboring, and very significant, locality of Paso Otero (see Favier Dubois, ; Gutiérrez, Martínez, Luchsinger, Álvarez, & Barros, ; Johnson Holliday, Martínez, Gutiérrez, & Politis, ), where evidence of late Pleistocene human occupation has been found (Martínez & Gutiérrez, ).…”