Pilauco Bajo

Pilauco is a paleontological and archaeological site located in the city of Osorno in Southern Chile.[2] The site contains both human made lithic artifacts and megafauna remains–including gomphotheres.[2] All the horizons containing megafauna and evidence of human activity date to the late Pleistocene. The calibrated radiocarbon dates indicate human evidences between 16,400 and -12,800 cal years B.P.[2]

Pilauco
Gomphothere models in Parque Pleistocénico de Osorno, a park inspired by the findings of Pilauco Bajo.
Shown within Chile
LocationSouthern Chile
Coordinates
Typeopen-air
History
Associated with[First American Settlers]
EventsYounger Dryas impact (claimed)[1]
Site notes
Excavation dates2007–present
ArchaeologistsMario Pino Quivira (leader) and others
OwnershipBienes Nacionales de Chile
ManagementAustral University of Chile and Ilustre Municipalidad de Osorno
Public accessPartial

The site is claimed to contain evidence for the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis.[1] This evidence include sediment layers with charcoal and pollen assemblages both indicating major disturbances as well as rare metallic spherules, and a Pt. Au and Pd peak anomaly originating from claimed to be derivative of airbursts or impacts.[1]

Most of the stone artifacts found in Pilauco are made of volcanic rock such as dacite, rhyodacite and rhyolite from the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex immediately east in the Andes. Yet these rocks were imported by humans to the site as nearby rivers have not transported it.[3]

Paleontology

In a 2007-2008 paleontological investigation 648 complete and fractured bones, 37 teeth, 11 coprolites, 348 wood pieces, 126 seeds, 28 skin and hair fragments were found. Further, 71 sediment samples were collected for analysis.[4]

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See also

References
  1. Pino, Mario; Abarzúa, Ana M.; Astorga, Giselle; Martel-Cea, Alejandra; Cossio-Montecinos, Nathalie; Navarro, N. Ximena; Lira, Maria Paz; Labarca, Rafael; LeCompte, Malcolm A.; Adedeji, Victor; Moore, Christopher R.; Bunch, Ted E.; Mooney, Charles; Wolbach, Wendy S.; West, Allen; Kennett, James P. (2019). "Sedimentary record from Patagonia, southern Chile supports cosmic-impact triggering of biomass burning, climate change, and megafaunal extinctions at 12.8 ka". Nature. 9 (1): 4413. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-38089-y. PMC 6416299. PMID 30867437.
  2. Navarro-Harris, X., Pino, M.; Guzmán-Marín, P. Lira, M. P. Labarca, R., Corgne, A. (2019). The procurement and use of knappable glassy volcanic raw material, Upper Pleistocene Pilauco site, Chilean Northwestern Patagonia. Geoarchaeology 1–21, DOI: 10.1002/gea.21736
  3. Navarro-Harris, Ximena; Pino, Mario; Guzmán‐Marín, Pedro; Lira, María Paz; Labarca, Rafael; Corgne, Alexandre (2019-03-02). "The procurement and use of knappable glassy volcanic rawmaterial from the late Pleistocene Pilauco site, ChileanNorthwestern Patagonia". Geoarchaeology. 34 (5): 592–612. doi:10.1002/gea.21736.
  4. "Identifican presencia humana en sitio de Pilauco Bajo". universia.cl. Universia. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2017.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
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