Environmental dynamics and formation processes at the pampean archaeological locality Zanjón Seco, Argentina

Abstract

Zanjón Seco is an important late Holocene archaeological locality in the Argentine Pampas, producing the oldest traces of pottery in the region as well as significant evidence for ancient hunter-gatherer lifestyles. Despite its importance, the formation processes resulting in the subsurface concentration of artifacts and bones have not been studied. Here, we present geoarchaeological studies carried out from a pedostratigraphic perspective that link the dynamics of sedimentation in the area (pulses of loess) with particular pedological processes associated with the biomechanical action of soil biota, mainly earthworms. We suggest that these explain both the burial and vertical distribution of archaeological materials at this locality.