Volcanic Eruptions, Tsunamis and other Catastrophes in the Archaeological Record of South America
by
Luis Alberto Borrero
Departamento de Investigaciones Prehistóricas y Arqueológicas - IMHICIHU - CONICET - Argentina

The archaeological record is the combined result of cultural and natural processes.The natural processes differentially affect both human populations and the archaeological record. For example, the action of Tsunamis on the Pacific coast of South America is one of the most important sources of biases of the coastal archaeological record, which is sometimes completely destroyed. Serious mistakes in the interpretation of the cultural history of many regions can be made if we ignore their existence. On the other hand, volcanic eruptions can be seen as less important sources of bias. Their occurrence can lead to the short-term abandonment of certain portions of the landscape, but they do not affect the long-term history of human populations, and will only rarely affect the integrity of the archaeological record. Moreover, they usually help to preserve the archaeological and paleontological records.

Date received: September 27, 2004