Archaeological Research Facility

In the hyper-arid core of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile dozens of Terminal Pleistocene archaeological sites  been identified in an area that previously held seasonal surface water channels, riparian vegetation, and a wetland landscape. These sites shed light on the early peopling of western South America because the onset of hyper-aridity during the early Holocene resulted in severe decline in habitat for most plant and animal life, including humans. The extreme aridity also allowed for the preservation of horse, ground sloth, camelid, rodent, and bird remains that might correspond to different time frames but are being exposed by wind erosion along with other fossilized botanical remains.

As sand dunes are actively covering and uncovering the surface, in 2018  we carried out geophysical research at Quebrada Mani where some of these archaeological and paleontological features have been exposed and dated to between 12.5 to 11.2k cal BP. In this poster we assess some of the challenges in interpreting the past aeolian landscape using geophysical (GPR and gradiometer) and geomorphic methods to assess site and landscape dynamics including the potential preservation of certain features.