Holocene settlement, stratigraphy and chronology at the site of Uruguai 1-sector 1, Foz do Chapecó archaeological area, South Brazil

Geoquímica das coberturas pedogenizadas no Planalto Dissecado do rio Uruguai – SC/RS

“…The analyses and interpretations carried out in the present study drew on pedogenic sediment samples collected from the region of Volta Grande, meandered by the Uruguay River in its upper course, on the border between the States of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (hydrographic region of upper Uruguay River). On the banks of the river, in an alluvial plain area, there are archaeological sites that attest to two pre-colonial settlements in the area: the oldest related to peoples belonging to hunter-gatherer groups (lithic materials) and the most recent belonging to the Tupi-Guarani archaeological tradition (ceramic materials) (LOURDEAU et al, 2016;CARBONERA et al, 2018;SANTOS et al, 2021). The sediments analyzed in this study (Figure 1) were sampled from pedogenized coverings sited at upper, middle and lower slope positions, between 200 and 500 meters of altitude.…”

“…The 14 C dates calculated from sediment collected from the Uruguay River banks in western Santa Catarina indicate an approximate age of 12,000 cal. yr BP, situating in time the oldest so far known human settlement in the area, in the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary (LOURDEAU et al, 2014;SANTOS et al, 2021). Together with an archaeological interest, through research partnerships, there emerged an interest in investigating evidence that could clarify the paleoenvironmental context.…”