The results obtained by scientists at the Natural History Museum of San Rafael stated that the current gap Llancanelo “was 10 times larger than it is now.” “We want to know if they can finish drying or grow again,” said one of the professionals. Archaeologists from the Museum of Natural History of the city of San Rafael Mendoza revealed the disappearance of a large freshwater lake about fifty miles in diameter, which existed more than 10,000 years ago in the south of Mendoza. The same phenomenon could be reproduced according to future climate change conditions. “The lakes are shrinking but still do not know if it’s for a ruptured natural dam or by a process of environmental change reflected because it rains less water it evaporates,” said archaeologist Adolfo Gil Mendoza. At the Museum of Natural History of San Rafael, the results obtained by the method of Carbon 14, established that the current Llancanelo lagoon, located in Malargüe “was ten times larger than it is now.” “With these results, we now know the dynamics of the regional landscape, that is how it has changed over time, and thus think about what type of environment we might have in the future against environmental changes ahead and already evident in Argentina and the world, “Gil said. The objective set by the researchers is how human populations responded to these changes and how this large lake may disappear entirely or again increase its size shrank. “We want to know whether to finish drying or may once again increase its size, which would be important to know, because it would also be a problem,” said the scientist. “The dated sediments correspond to remains of shells that were several feet above the current lake level, confirming the size that it may have reached for that long,” Gil said. With the results obtained, archaeologists now know more precisely how the landscape was when the first humans arrived south of Mendoza; which the resources were available to them; what are the gateways to the region were; and what challenges were faced to survive. At that time, the great masses of ice of the last glaciation had extended uninterruptedly to Tierra del Fuego were melting at an accelerated pace, becoming huge rivers and lakes that plied and extended by the regional landscape. In that scenario so different from today, with more fertile environments inhabited now extinct large mammals such as the Megatherium, the macrauchenia the Gliptodón or American Horse. Together with archaeologists from the Museum of Natural History of San Rafael researchers working Malacological Registry (study of snails), National University of Mar del Plata and sedimentological and palynological who also carry biologists and geologists Natural History Museum of San Rafael. Source: MDZ on line.
