Early Human Occupation and Environment South of the Deseado Massif and South of Lake Argentino

MANCINI, MARÍA VIRGINIA; FRANCO, NORA VIVIANA; BROOK, GEORGE

Current Research in the Pleistocene

Center for the Study of the First Americans

Lugar: Texas; Año: 2012 p. 197 - 200

8755-898X

pollen records from the Deseado Massif indicate drier conditions than present before ca. 11,000 RCYBP followed by an expansion of steppe dominated by grass;this was most likely due to an increase in available moisture with increased temperature. In the Southwest, there was also an increase in precipitation possibly related to the position and intensity of the westerlies and the establishment of a west-east precipitation gradient. During the early Holocene, the influence of the westerly winds would have been localized between 45º and 50° S. The pollen-derived environmental information from La Gruta lagoon 2, cave 1 and Chorrillo Malo 2 suggests that the initial occupation of areas south of the Deseado Massif and south of Lake Argentino corresponds to improved environmental conditions, related to greater moisture availability than previously.