The GeoPalAiK project is part of a Franco-Chilean collaboration involving archaeology, palaeontology, geoarchaeology, geomorphology and geochronology. The main objective of the project is to better document the geoarchaeology of different stratified caves, rockshelters and open-air sites of the Pali Aike volcanic field (PAVF), in southern Patagonia, where the archaeological and palaeontological records are relatively abundant both in stratigraphy and on the surface.

The specific objectives are to: 1) understand site formation processes during the Late Pleistocene/Holocene transition, 2) study new archaeo-palaeontological records in open-air context, 3) build robust chronologies for Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene human colonization and extinct megafauna (mammals) occupations, 4) characterize the taphonomy of cultural and extinct megafauna remains and 5) document the geomorphological context of sites related to the early peopling of PAVF. On-site investigations using stratigraphy, sedimentology and geophysical approaches will allow to better understand site formation processes and especially the evolution of Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene sites.

This work aims to give a more accurate understanding of the taphonomy of megafaunal remains but also to better identify burial processes of artefacts linked to the first human colonization of Pali Aike. Extra-site detailed geomorphological mapping, subsurface coring, along with cosmogenic nuclides and 40Ar/39Ar dating will allow to document the Pleistocene/Holocene landscape evolution and the chronology of (post)glacial and volcanic events.

Financement : International Emerging Actions (IEA) – CNRS – 2019 - Projets « PI-to-PI

Partners :

• Universidad de Magallanes (UMAG)
• Centro de Estudios del Hombre Austral
• Instituto de la Patagonia (Chili).