Mudanças paleoambientais quaternárias na região de Lagoa Santa, MG, Brasil: a palinologia como subsídio para o entendimento do padrão de ocupação humana.

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2009

RESUMO

The objective of this study is to determine the vegetational and climatic history of the Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais, Brazil since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and relate it with the pattern of human occupancy and to test the Arcaic Gap hypothesis, which suggests that human groups would have migrated to others areas of Brazil, due to dry climates, which would have persisted in this region between 8,000 non. Cal yr B.P. and 2,000 non. cal. yr B.P. The results are presented in two scientific articles, containing palinological analyses carried out in sediments collected in three localities within the archaeological district of Lagoa Santa, MG. The results show that during the end of the Last Glacial Maximum until the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, taxa adapted to cold climates such as Podocarpus and Araucaria suggest temperatures of approximately 5C to 6C lower than today. After the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, there is a gradual replacement of cold taxa by warmer climate elements such as Protium, Sebastiana, Rubiaceae and some cerrado taxa like Caryocar and Pseudobombax. The pollen records show that during the middle Holocene broad climatic oscillations occurred as consequence of El Niño-like phenomena. Probably these oscillations cold have been the cause of abandonmant by humans in the Lagoa Santa region during the Arcaic Gap. In the last 2,000 years arboreal/shrubby elements like Alchornea, Apocynaceae, Arecaceae, Cecropia, Ficus, Melastomataceae, Mimosa, Peixotoa and Sebastiana, and the herbaceous terrestrial components such as Asteraceae and Poaceae dominated the landscape. This study does not show any drier vegetational physiognomy during the Holocene. In contrast, the arboreal/shrubby and herbaceous elements are well represented during whole palinological profile therefore suggesting the maintenance of the semi-decidous forest/cerrado mosaic during the Holocene. Thus, the palinological analyses do not support the Arcaic Gap hypothesis.

ASSUNTO(S)

geologia ambiental pleistocene, quaternary, holocene, climate, pollen, archaeology, brazil pleistoceno, quaternário, holoceno, clima, pólen, arqueologia, brasil.

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