Testing a new method for tracing obsidians (arrowheads in archaeological or paleoseismic trenches in the Chilean and Peruvian Atacama)

Project description

The geo-archaeological approach integrates observations from soil geology and surface geomorphology (Earth Sciences) with those from archaeology and history (Human Sciences). It applies to contexts with various types of markers, uncovered during palaeoseismic or archaeological excavations, on the surface or in trenches. This cross-disciplinary approach is necessary to understand Holocene sites that record and preserve both seismic ruptures and traces of human occupation contemporary with past earthquakes. In this context, this project proposes a detailed cross-sectional analysis of the near-surface stratigraphic context of several sites in the Atacama on the Peru/Chile border, and the testing of a new analysis method for obsidian artefacts.