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

ABSTRACT: 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 increas

SUBMITTER: Guedron S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9926255 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature