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Prehistoric Archaeology on the Continental Shelf pp 131–149Cite as

Submerged Paleolandscapes: Site GNL Quintero 1 (GNLQ1) and the First Evidences from the Pacific Coast of South America

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Abstract

In this chapter, the authors present research conducted on GNL Quintero 1 (GNLQ1), a Late Pleistocene paleontological submerged site located on the Pacific coast of Central Chile (32°46′S). GNLQ1, located 650 m offshore and 13 m underwater, was discovered and test excavated as part of a Cultural Resource Management (CRM) project. The authors describe the research method and strategies applied and the results obtained so far. By combining geological, geomorphological, bathymetrical, sedimentological, and paleontological data with a digital simulation model, they suggest that by c. 16,000 cal BP, a significant part of Quintero Bay was exposed and GNLQ1 would have been located several kilometers inland as the paleoshoreline was farther out on the continental shelf. In light of this new evidence they discuss the known association between extinct megafauna and early human adaptations in the area. Despite the fact that no human agency has been inferred, the similarities of the extinct faunal assemblage with prehistoric sites on land are suggestive and encourage further research. They conclude GNLQ1 provides the first unambiguous evidence that this record can survive in situ and be located through underwater investigation, thus offering insight into a submerged paleolandscape viable for human occupation and transit along the Pacific Coast of South America during the Late Pleistocene.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Nicholas Flemming, Joe Flatman, and Amanda Evans for inviting us to contribute in this volume. Giorgo Spada kindly provided the GIA curve for Quintero Bay using the SELEN 3.2 model. David Letelier provided underwater photography images and Álvaro López prepared laboratory photography images. This study has been financially supported by GNL Quintero S.A.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ÀRKA—Maritime Archaeology, Casilla 21, 2340000, Valparaíso, Chile

    aDiego Carbias, Renato Simonetti & Carla Morales

  2. Departamento de Antropología, Universidad de Chile, Ignacio Carrera Pinto 1045, Santiago de Chile, Chile

    Isabel Cartajena

  3. Universidad Católica del Norte, IIAM, Gustavo Le Paige 380, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

    Patricio López

  4. Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Chile, Plaza Ercilla 803, Santiago, Chilew

    Cristina Ortega

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  1. aDiego Carbias
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  2. Isabel Cartajena
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  4. Patricio López
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  5. Carla Morales
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Correspondence to aDiego Carbias .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Tesla Offshore, Inc, Prairieville, Louisiana, USA

    Amanda M. Evans

  2. Inst. Archaeology, University College London Fac. Arts, London, United Kingdom

    Joseph C. Flatman

  3. National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom

    Nicholas C. Flemming

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Carbias, a., Cartajena, I., Simonetti, R., López, P., Morales, C., Ortega, C. (2014). Submerged Paleolandscapes: Site GNL Quintero 1 (GNLQ1) and the First Evidences from the Pacific Coast of South America. In: Evans, A., Flatman, J., Flemming, N. (eds) Prehistoric Archaeology on the Continental Shelf. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9635-9_8

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