Strontium isotopes and scale of southern andean societies: a new proyject

BARBERENA, RAMIRO; TESSONE, AUGUSTO; LE ROUX, PETRUS; SANTANA-SAGRADO, FRANCISCA; NOVELLINO, PAULA; GASCO, ALEJANDRA; LLANO, CARINA; DURÁN, VÍCTOR; KNUDSON, KELLY

San Rafael

Taller; II Taller de Arqueología e Isótopos Estables en el Sur de Sudamérica; 2017

IANIGLA-CONICET

The goal of this research is to present the geological frame of reference for bioavaila- ble stron um isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) in the southern Andes of Argen na and Chile. This stage forms part of a larger project that tackles the scale of human paleomobility and ecological complementarity between the Andean highlands and the surrounding lowlands. At a temporal level, the focus is on the last 2300 years. This framework is based on the combina on of geo- logical data with isotope results for rodent samples.We develop an isotopic assessment of scale of human mobility in a mountain land- scape combining stron um and oxygen isotopes. Human samples from the main geological units and periods within the last two millennia are selected. This is based on stron um results for human bone and teeth samples from Mendoza Province (Argen na) that allow targe ng life -history changes in spa al residence. The 87Sr/86Sr values from human samples indicate resi- den al stability within geological regions along life history. Despite the large socio-economic changes recorded, 87Sr/86Sr values indicate a persis ng scenario of low systema c mobility between the di erent geological regions. When comparing stron um and oxygen values for the same human samples, we record a divergent pa ern: while d18O values for samples from distant regions overlap widely, there are important di erences in stron um values. Our results suggest that stron um isotope values provide the most germane means to track pa erns of human occupa on of dis nct regions in complex geological landscapes, o ering higher spa al resolu on than oxygen isotopes in the southern Andes.