The Archaeology of Cosmic Impact: Lessons from Two Mid-Holocene Argentine Case Studies

• Autores: Barrientos, Gustavo; Masse, W. Bruce
• Año de publicación: 2014
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: Extraterrestrial Object Collisions; Quaternary Period; Archaeological Evidence And Judgment Criteria; Campo del Cielo And Río Cuarto Impact Events
• Institución: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

Cosmic impact is a category of natural catastrophe neglected or misunderstood by most archaeologists in reconstructions of past human population dynamics. We discuss the nature of impact by asteroids and comets and what is known and theorized about the Quaternary Period impact record. As case studies for our exploration of how archaeological method and theory can be productively applied to the study of cosmic impact, we focus on two confirmed Holocene asteroid impacts in central and northeastern Argentina, Rio Cuarto and Campo del Cielo, both likely dating between 6 and 3 cal ky BP. We model and assess the potential destructive effects of these impacts on contemporary hunting and gathering populations using several lines of evidence. The search for Quaternary Period cosmic impacts, along with the documentation of the effects of confirmed cosmic impacts on human populations, particularly of those organized in small-scale social groups, represents a challenge and key opportunity for future archaeological research.
Fil: Barrientos, Gustavo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina
Fil: Masse, W. Bruce. Los Alamos National High Magnetic Field Laboratory; Estados Unidos