Holocene variations in Lake Titicaca water level and their implications for sociopolitical developments in the central Andes

Holocene climate in the high tropical Andes was characterized by both gradual and abrupt changes, which disrupted the hydrological cycle and impacted landscapes and societies. High-resolution paleoenvironmental records are essential to contextualize archaeological data and to evaluate the sociopolit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2023-01, Vol.120 (2), p.e2215882120-e2215882120
Main Authors: Guédron, Stéphane, Delaere, Christophe, Fritz, Sherilyn C, Tolu, Julie, Sabatier, Pierre, Devel, Anne-Lise, Heredia, Carlos, Vérin, Claire, Alves, Eduardo Q, Baker, Paul A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Archaeology
Biological Sciences
biomarkers
carbon isotopes
central Andes
Climate
Environmental Sciences
High resolution
Holocene
Hydrologic cycle
Hydrology
Isotopes
Lake Titicaca sediment
Lakes
Lakes - chemistry
Organic carbon
Paleoshorelines
societies
Sociopolitical factors
Stable isotopes
Transfer functions
Water
Water levels
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Summary:Holocene climate in the high tropical Andes was characterized by both gradual and abrupt changes, which disrupted the hydrological cycle and impacted landscapes and societies. High-resolution paleoenvironmental records are essential to contextualize archaeological data and to evaluate the sociopolitical response of ancient societies to environmental variability. Middle-to-Late Holocene water levels in Lake Titicaca were reevaluated through a transfer function model based on measurements of organic carbon stable isotopes, combined with high-resolution profiles of other geochemical variables and paleoshoreline indicators. Our reconstruction indicates that following a prolonged low stand during the Middle Holocene (4000 to 2400 BCE), lake level rose rapidly ~15 m by 1800 BCE, and then increased another 3 to 6 m in a series of steps, attaining the highest values after ~1600 CE. The largest lake-level increases coincided with major sociopolitical changes reported by archaeologists. In particular, at the end of the Formative Period (500 CE), a major lake-level rise inundated large shoreline areas and forced populations to migrate to higher elevation, likely contributing to the emergence of the Tiwanaku culture.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.2215882120