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

JOHNSON, E.; HOLLIDAY, V. T.; MARTÍNEZ, G.; GUTIÉRREZ, M. A.; POLITIS, G.

Geoarchaeology. An International Journal

Wiley

Año: 2012 p. 300 - 323

1520-6548

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