Pilauco is a

paleontological Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...

and archaeological site located in the city of Osorno, Chile, Osorno in Zona Sur, Southern Chile.Navarro-Harris, X., Pino, M.; Guzmán-Marín, P. Lira, M. P. Labarca, R., Corgne, A. (2019). The procurement and use of knappable glassy volcanic raw material, Upper Pleistocene Pilauco site, Chilean Northwestern Patagonia''.'' Geoarchaeology 1–21, DOI: 10.1002/gea.21736 The site contains both human made lithic flake, lithic artifacts and megafauna remains–including gomphotheres. All the horizons containing megafauna and evidence of human activity date to the late Pleistocene. The calibrated radiocarbon dates indicate there was human activity in the site between 16,400 and -12,800 cal years before present, B.P. The site was claimed to contain evidence for the disputed Younger Dryas impact hypothesis.This evidence include sediment layers with charcoal and pollen assemblages both indicating major disturbances as well as rare metallic spherules, and a Pt. Au and Pd peak anomaly originating from claimed to be derivative of airbursts or meteorite impact, impacts. Most of the stone artifacts found in Pilauco are made of volcanic rock such as dacite, rhyodacite and rhyolite from the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle, Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex immediately east in the Andes. Yet these rocks were imported by humans to the site as nearby rivers have not transported it.

Paleontology

In a 2007-2008 paleontological investigation 648 complete and fractured bones, 37 teeth, 11 coprolites, 348 wood pieces, 126 seeds, 28 skin and hair fragments were found. Further, 71 sediment samples were collected for analysis.

References

Archaeological cultures of South America Pre-Columbian cultures Archaeological sites in Chile Geography of Los Lagos Region Former populated places in Chile Pre-Clovis archaeological sites in the Americas Pleistocene paleontological sites of South America Paleontology in Chile Younger Dryas impact hypothesis {{Chile-archaeology-stub

Paleontology

See also

References