Inland and maritime adaptations in the Southern Cone

Abstract

The southern cone of South America is the last continental landmass colonized by humans during the late Pleistocene. From a global perspective, this part of the continent can be characterized as a large peninsular territory where Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego Island are surrounded by the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Tectonics and climate impose astounding differences to the Atlantic and Pacific sheds of the southern cone. On the one hand, the Pacific shed runs along an active tectonic margin that produces abrupt topographic changes, creating a complex maze of islands, fjords, channels and interior seas to the west of Patagonia and the Tierra del Fuego, extending over nearly 1,800 km from Chiloe Island to the Cape Horn. In opposition, the Atlantic shed is emplaced in a tectonically passive setting with more gentle topography and a coastline characterized by wide submarine platforms, which are hence much more affected by eustatic changes during the Holocene.