Back to the bases: Building a terrestrial water δ18O baseline for archaeological studies in North Patagonia (Argentina)

SERNA, ALEJANDRO; PRATES, LUCIANO; VALENZUELA, LUCIANO O.; SALAZAR-GARCÍA, DOMINGO C.

QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2019

1040-6182

This paperprovides an isotopic base line to assess paleomobility in northeasternPatagonia. The study area is characterized by a fragmented environment as aresult of the uneven availability of water, so this resource probably played acentral role in the human spatial organization. The use of δ18O inarcheology has been an efficient strategy for defining mobility vectors,through constructing regional isotopic-hydrological profiles, and comparingthem with the signals of human tissues. The aim of this paper is to generate anisotopic-hydrological profile for northeast Patagonia. Analyzed samples (n=46)were obtained from water bodies located between the Colorado river and theSomuncurá´s piedmont (N-S), and between the Limay river and the Atlantic ocean(W-E). The values were evaluated considering season, altitude and distance ofthe sampling point from the Atlantic coast. According to δ18Ovalues, five hydrological areas were defined, which can be used as a referenceframework for the study of archaeological samples.