Paleoshoreline Reconstruction: A First Approximation to Submerged Prehistoric Landscapes of Isla Espíritu Santo, Mexico

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Liquid Landscapes: Recent Developments in Submerged Landscape Archaeology" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Ancient coastline modeling is an effective method for reconstructing submerged prehistoric landscapes, allowing us to understand the human use of the coastal zone through time. Here we present data from Espíritu Santo Island, one of the oldest human settlement areas in the Baja California Peninsula. This study aims to reconstruct the paleoshoreline between 12,500 and 8000 cal BP for archaeological prospection. We use Yao’s model to project ancient coastlines onto a digital-elevation model based on relative sea-level data, incorporating local sediment deposition. The results are projected at 500-year intervals in RStudio and consistent with the prediction of the sea-level rise. The reconstruction shows that between 12,500 and 9000 cal BP, a tombolo linked Espíritu Santo to the mainland. At 10,500 cal BP, an islet was formed off the southern tip of Espíritu Santo. Between 10,000 and 9000 cal BP, an islet in front of Punta Prieta became submerged. At 8500 cal BP, the island separates from the mainland. Finally, at 8000 cal BP, the coastline is located at the approximate limit of the current pocket bays. Reconstructing paleotopography features extends our knowledge about coastal environments in Baja California’s past and offers insight on where to search for potential submerged sites.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Liquid Landscapes: Recent Developments in Submerged Landscape Archaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36719.0