Lithic micro-wear analysis of Late Holocene tools from Laguna Azul locality (Somuncurá plateau, Río Negro, Argentina).

LYNCH VIRGINIA; TERRANOVA ENRIQUE

Simposio; 11th International Simposium of Knappable Materials; 2017

The Laguna Azul locality is locatedin the northeastern area of the Somuncurá plateau (Río Negro Province, Argentina). This plateau is a basaltic cover with numerous basins with ephemeral lagoons between these basins. The Laguna Azul is located at about 1,179 m.a.s.l.The archaeological evidence in this area consists of stone structures (blinds), rock art and different surface materials. In the excavation carried out within one of these parapets, lithic, pottery and faunal remains were recovered, and Late-Holocene ages were obtained from four samples.This paper focuses on the lithic materials (mainly endscrapers) recovered from Laguna Azul. The study allowed us to inferthe use of these tools on different materials, as well as to understand technological decisions on their production. This analysis constitutes a starting point to understand the functionality of these structures, considered as placesequipped in advance fortheir reuse, and also to propose possible mobility circuitsin the Somuncurá plateau, taking into account that the lagoons were places frequently visited and inhabited during the Late Holocene.