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Radiocarbon Dates from Soil Profiles in the Teotihuacán Valley, Mexico: Indicators of Geomorphological Processes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Emily McClung de Tapia ,
Irma Domínguez Rubio ,
Jorge Gama Castro ,
Elizabeth Solleiro  and
Sergey Sedov
Emily McClung de Tapia*
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Paleoetnobotánica y Paleoambiente, Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Irma Domínguez Rubio
Affiliation:
Deceased. Departamento del Hombre y su Medio Ambiente, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco
Jorge Gama Castro
Affiliation:
Departamento de Edafología, Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Elizabeth Solleiro
Affiliation:
Departamento de Edafología, Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Sergey Sedov
Affiliation:
Departamento de Edafología, Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
*
Corresponding author. Email: mcclung@servidor.unam.mx.
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Abstract

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Radiocarbon dates largely obtained from bulk soil samples in 24 soil profiles in the Teotihuacán Valley, Mexico, are reported insofar as they represent a first step towards developing a sequence of soil formation, erosion, vegetation change, and human impact during the Holocene. Limitations of 14C dating in the area are considered, particularly the absence of charcoal in sediments and poor preservation of pollen. A broad temporal scheme is proposed to guide future research in which 4 periods are defined: ∼5000–2000 BP (relative stability with short, intermittent episodes of erosion); ∼2000–1500 BP (erosion-sedimentation, deforestation, and intensive agriculture); ∼1500–1000 BP (relative stability, depopulation, and partial recovery of the landscape); and ∼1000–500 BP (erosion-sedimentation, deforestation, and intensive agriculture).

Type
Date Lists
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 47 , Issue 1 , 2005 , pp. 159 - 175
Copyright
Copyright © 2005 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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