EMERGENCE

The Pali Aike region in southern Patagonia is particularly rich in archeological and paleontological records, preserved in caves, lava tubes, and craters. It is one of the four main hotspots in southern South America where the first human occupancy has been discovered. However, no integrated paleo-environmental, archeological and paleontological study has been conducted. As a result, very little is known about the complex interplay between volcanic and glacial processes during the Late Quaternary (last 1.5 Ma) or about the landscape evolution at the transition between the Pleistocene and the Holocene (~11000 years ago).

Conducting a comprehensive environmental study using GIS mapping, geochronology, and paleoecology will allow the reconstruction of landscapes occupied by first humans and the local megafauna (some of which are now extinct) and will facilitate the understanding of drastic climatic/ecological changes to which these populations had to adapt to in a short period of time.

With these research objectives in mind, the EMERGENCE PhD project takes an integrative geoarcheological approach that aims to place archeological and paleontological sites and records in their geomorphological, paleoenvironmental, and paleogeographical context based on detailed, multi-scale studies. The results are expected to bring key information to consolidate the current four-hotspots dispersion model in Central and Southern Patagonia or to propose alternative new dispersal hypotheses.