Fossil rodent middens from northern Patagonia (Argentina): preliminary results of holocene environmental changes in the monte semi-desert.

LLANO, C.; DE PORRAS, M. E.,; BELTRAME, M.O.; BARBERENA, R

Mendoza

Conferencia; 4th Southern Deserts Conference; 2014

Paleoecological research in Northern Patagonia (Argentina) is scarce and has been mainly restricted to the Andean region, given the availability of standard paleo-archives such as lakes and peatbogs (bofedales). At present,desert and semi-desert areas (monte) remain unexplored, although they occupy the central portion of the South America arid diagonal between the Atacama Desert and the Patagonian steppe. Fossil rodent middens were recentlyfound in northern Neuquén, providing a unique opportunity to trace past vegetation shifts related to past climate changes (Projects PICT2012-1976, 2010-1856). Middens were located close to Huenul Cave (36°56?S, 69°47′W, 1008 masl), an archaeological site first occupied ∼11,000 BP that overlays a Pleistocene layer of extinct ground sloth dung. This presentationreports the first results of Holocene environments in Northern Neuquén based onthe joint analysis of macro-botanical remains, pollen, and complementary paleoparasitological studies from a rodent midden series.