Stratigraphic evidence for anthropogenically induced coastal environmental change from Oaxaca, Mexico

Goman, Michelle; Joyce, Arthur A.; Mueller, Raymond

doi:10.1016/j.yqres.2005.02.008

Cited by 38 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The majority of the exposures examined and samples dated are never identified individually. Some aspects of Quaternary alluviation have been touched on in studies carried out in the Basin of Mexico (Frederick, 1996;Có rdova, 1997;McClung et al, 2005), Morelos (Nichols et al, 2006), southern Puebla (McAuliffe et al, 2001) and Oaxaca Mueller, 1992, 1997;Rincó n, 1999;Goman et al, 2005), but their focus has been on the late Holocene and on human impacts on the local hydrology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluvial response to Holocene climate change in low‐order streams of central Mexico

Borejsza

Frederick

2009

J Quaternary Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Alluvial sequences constitute a recognised source of information on past environmental change, but one that has scarcely been tapped in central Mexico. This paper reviews what is currently known about the Holocene alluvial stratigraphy of the region, focusing on the interplay between climate and the pace and style of sedimentation in the incised headwater reaches of stream networks. The records obtained in five different drainage basins -four in the state of Tlaxcala and one in Guanajuato -are presented and compared to published reconstructions of climate change. A nearsynchronous incision of all stream networks occurred close to 10 200 14 C a BP in response to an increase in precipitation and stream discharge. A spell of very humid but markedly seasonal conditions ensued, resulting in the formation of wet meadows along streams and the accumulation of thick finetextured valley fills dominated by cumulic soil A horizons. After 9100 14 C a BP a transition to a warmer and more arid climate provoked the thinning of vegetation cover on slopes, accelerated runoff and increased sediment delivery to streams. The aggradation of coarser-textured valley fills poor in organic matter set in. It ceased or slowed down significantly after a few millennia as the studied stream reaches achieved a near-graded condition adjusted to the relatively stable climate. Arid mid Holocene conditions are also reflected in the abundant precipitation of secondary carbonates in Guanajuato. At 3100 14 C a BP higher precipitation caused more frequent flooding and a resumption of aggradation. Shortly after that date sedentary farmers colonised Tlaxcala. Agriculture altered runoff and sediment delivery to streams and accelerated cut-and-fill cycles on a scale that masked the impact of any climatic fluctuations. Guanajuato was colonised later and its alluvial record suggests the persistence of a humid climate at least until 1000 14 C a BP.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fluvial response to Holocene climate change in low‐order streams of central Mexico

Borejsza

Frederick

2009

J Quaternary Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It all depends on your point of view. The work of Goman et al (2005) provides an excellent example of this. They documented changes along the Río Verde and the Oaxaca coast in Mexico over several centuries during the Formative period (before c. 2000 BP).…”

Section: Human Interactions With the Geospherementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Others range in scale up to examinations of entire regions over long time periods (e.g. Goman et al 2005;van der Leeuw et al 2005;Brooks 2006;Rapp & Jing). They may be concerned with archaeological sites that are tens to hundreds of thousands of years old (e.g.…”

Section: What Is Geoarchaeology?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of geoarchaeology in extending our perspective

Wilson

2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Specialists and the general public alike are very aware of human impacts on our environment. Climate change, deforestation, desertification, soil erosion and other topics are currently much in the news, but human influence on the environment is not a new phenomenon. Geoarchaeologists study the traces of human interactions with the geosphere dating back to ancient times, as well as up to and in the present. Geoarchaeological investigations provide the key to recognizing landscape and environmental change within a region, as well as reconstructing ancient landscapes and palaeoclimatic regimes. Such an interdisciplinary approach makes it possible to interpret the ways that humans affect the geosphere, through such things as subsistence and resource exploitation activities, settlement location, and local and regional land-use patterns. This approach also allows us to determine the effects of environmental change on human societies. For millennia, humans have been coping with, or provoking, environmental change. We have exploited, extracted, over-used but also in many cases nurtured the resources that the geosphere offers. In the geoarchaeological perspective, human life has never been separate from nature. Geoarchaeology can thus provide a more inclusive and longer-term view of human-geosphere interactions, and serve as a valuable aid to those who try to determine sustainable policies for the future.The world seems to be changing: the weather is messed up, climate is different, sea level is rising, glaciers are melting, new plants and animals are showing up in places where they never used to be . . . A lot of people are worried. They feel as if we are in uncharted waters. For many people, there is an underlying assumption that the environment is 'supposed to be' stable. The mere fact of it changing is frightening. They feel that we have never had to deal with such changes before, and they do not know how we will be able to handle it.This perspective is understandable, as what most people know of the world is based on their own experiences, with a smattering of history tacked on. Our own experiences are naturally very limited, no more than one lifetime (plus what our parents and grandparents tell us). The perspective that history can provide is not much better. History, which depends on written documents, is in fact very short: at best no more than a few thousand years, and most of that very sketchy. For the most part we have only a few snippets of information about any one time, not an overall view. In addition, if we want to learn about the environment, historical documents tend to focus on the wrong details. They tell us about kings and wars and trade amounts, and they give us only the part of the story that one small subset of participants wanted to tell. We have to work hard to extract information about the environment from such sources.History also has the drawback of having taken place during relatively recent times, when climate was in fact fairly stable. The little information that it does give us ...

show abstract

“…While agriculture is the predominant subsistence activity, people also exploit fish and shellfish from the river, ponds, estuaries, and ocean as well as wild plants and animals from terrestrial habitats (Rodríguez et al 1989). Paleoenvironmental research in the lower Río Verde Valley indicates that present ecological conditions emerged approximately 2,000 to 3,000 years ago (Goman et al 2005(Goman et al , 2010Joyce and Mueller 1997, Chapter 3). The Late Postclassic and early colonial cacicazgo of Tututepec first drew attention to the archaeological significance of the Oaxaca coast.…”

Section: History Of Archaeological Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Flesh to Clay: Formative Period Iconography from Oaxaca’s Lower Río Verde Valley

Hepp¹,

Joyce²

2013

Polity and Ecology in Formative Period Coastal Oaxaca

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Stratigraphic evidence for anthropogenically induced coastal environmental change from Oaxaca, Mexico

Cited by 38 publications

References 47 publications

Fluvial response to Holocene climate change in low‐order streams of central Mexico

Fluvial response to Holocene climate change in low‐order streams of central Mexico

The role of geoarchaeology in extending our perspective

From Flesh to Clay: Formative Period Iconography from Oaxaca’s Lower Río Verde Valley

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About