Emissions from pre-Hispanic metallurgy in the South American atmosphere.

ABSTRACT: Metallurgical activities have been undertaken in northern South America (NSA) for millennia. However, it is still unknown how far atmospheric emissions from these activities have been transported. Since the timing of metallurgical activities is currently estimated from scarce archaeological discoveries, the availability of reliable and continuous records to refine the timing of past metal deposition in South America is essential, as it provides an alternative to discontinuous archives, as well as evidence for global trace metal transport. We show in a peat record from Tierra del Fuego that anthropogenic metals likely have been emitted into the atmosphere and transported from NSA to southern South America (SSA) over the last 4200 yrs. These findings are supported by modern time back-traject

SUBMITTER: De Vleeschouwer F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4213032 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature