Geomorphological evolution and landscape dynamics as a tool for archaeological research in areas of low visibility. Elvira shallow lake study case, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Abstract

Geomorphological features and landscape evolution of the Elvira shallow lake basin, in the Fuegian Steppe, are analysed in relation to human use of the space during the Holocene. Landforms, morpho-dynamics and landscape evolution knowledge is proposed as a tool for archaeological exploratory surveys in regions of low visibility as is the case in the study area. Elvira 1 and Elvira 2 archaeological sites, unearthed by blowouts in a glaciolacustrine plain and in a perched dune respectively, are firstly analysed in this contribution. Both archaeological sites are placed close to a pan that was repeatedly occupied by a shallow lake over time even until 2019. This study shows that how lacustrine terraces and perched dunes containing palaeosoils are suitable places for looking for evidence of human activities in the past (hunting and processing prey, knapping, among others) and analysing the use of the space. The small size of the lithic artifacts found in both sites is interpreted in relation to the gravel availability in glaciofluvial plains, out of the basin. Some differences in the preservation degree of the archaeofaunal remains are related to sedimentary conditions of landforms where they recorded. Radiocarbon dating on a guanaco bone containing cut marks and on palaeosoils sediments place the archaeological sites in the Late Holocene. According to previous studies, the results from Elvira shallow lake coincide with alaeoenvironmental data and the pre-European land use of these lacustrine spaces in the region.