Holocene Geology and Paleoenvironmental History of the lower Chicama River Valley and Coast

Summary

This paper focuses on reconstructing the Holocene paleoenvironmental history of the lower Chicama River valley and coastal system, which has provided diverse natural resources for the Preceramic cultures at Huaca Prieta and Paredones. The archaeological site of Huaca Prieta is situated on the southern tip of a Pleistocene terrace along the shore, ~3 km north of the Chicama River mouth and floodplain system. Paredones is located 0.6 km to the north on the eastern edge of the terrace. Here we present the results of a geological investigation of sediment cores, outcrops, and surface morphology from the coastal plain and lower Chicama River valley. From these data we reconstruct the Holocene paleoenvironmental history of the area around Huaca Prieta and Paredones, which represent the natural landscape and resources available to the early cultures living there.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Landscapes of Change: Integrated Socio-ecological Histories in the Chicama Valley, Peru

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14792