Pleistocene-Holocene Transition in Northern Patagonia: Evidence from Huenul Cave (Neuquén, Argentina)

BARBERENA RAMIRO; POMPEI MARÍA DE LA PAZ ; OTAOLA CLARA; NEME GUSTAVO; GIL ADOLFO; BORRAZZO KAREN; DURÁN VÍCTOR; HOGUIN RODOLPHE

Current Research in the Pleistocene

Texas A&M University

Lugar: Austin; Año: 2010 vol. 27 p. 4 - 7

8755-898X

Northern Neuquén (Patagonia, Argentina) constitutes a void in our current knowledge of the early human peopling of South America. This report stems from a regional survey project recently started in northern Neuquén that was intended to bridge this gap. In particular, new research being conducted at the Cueva Huenul 1 site (CH1) provides stratified sequences of archaeological and paleontological remains spanning the late-Pleistocene/early-Holocene period. Although never published in any depth, this cave site was known to have excellent preservation conditions and a long temporal sequence, with a date of 11,150 ± 230 on a sediment sample whose stratigraphic context is unknown.