PROOF 5 CURRENT RESEARCH IN THE PLEISTOCENE Vol. 27, 2010 Pleistocene-Holocene Transition in Northern Patagonia: Evidence from Huenul Cave (Neuquén, Argentina) Ramiro Barberena, M. de la Paz Pompei, Clara Otaola, Gustavo Neme, Adolfo Gil, Karen Borrazzo, Víctor Durán, and Rodolphe Hoguin ➤ Keywords: Northern Patagonia, late Pleistocene-early Holocene, human- megafauna interactions Northern Neuquén (Patagonia, Argentina) constitutes a void in our current knowledge of the early human peopling of South America (Borrero 2008). This report stems from a regional survey project recently started in northern Neuquén that was intended to bridge this gap. In particular, new research being conducted at the Cueva Huenul 1 site (CH1) provides stratified se- quences of archaeological and paleontological remains spanning the late- Pleistocene/early-Holocene period (Figure 1). Although never published in any depth, this cave site was known to have excellent preservation conditions and a long temporal sequence, with a date of 11,150 ± 230 RCYBP (AC-0010) on a sediment sample whose stratigraphic context is unknown (Cordero et al. 2002). Recent excavations conducted by us in CH1 provided a 1.4-m sequence composed of two main sets of litho-stratigraphic units separated by an erosive unconformity (Figure 1). These units differ in terms of sedimentological and chemical properties: The basal units VIII-V have a high content of organic matter (up to 5%) and nearly bimodal granulometric distributions, indicating mixed depositional agents. Macroscopically, they appear to be composed mainly of dung remains. A large amount of very well preserved coprolites was Ramiro Barberena, CONICET-IMHICIHU, Saavedra 15, 5 th (1083), Buenos Aires, Argentina; e-mail: ramidus28@gmail.com M. Paz Pompei, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina; e-mail: mapaz_pompei @yahoo.com.ar Clara Otaola, CONICET-Museo de Historia Natural de San Rafael, Parque M. Moreno (5600), San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina; e-mail: claraotaola@yahoo.com.ar Gustavo Neme, CONICET-Museo de Historia Natural de San Rafael, Parque M. Moreno (5600), San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina; e-mail: gustavoneme@arqueologiamendoza.com Adolfo Gil, CONICET-Museo de Historia Natural de San Rafael, Parque M. Moreno (5600), San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina; e-mail: adolfogil@arqueologiamendoza.com Karen Borrazzo, CONICET-IMHICIHU, Saavedra 15, 5 th (1083), Buenos Aires, Argentina; e-mail: kborrazzo@yahoo.com.ar Víctor Durán, CONICET-Laboratorio de Geoarqueología, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina; e-mail: duranvic@logos.uncu.edu.ar Rodolphe Hoguin, CONICET-Instituto de Arqueología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 25 de Mayo 217, 3 th (1002), Buenos Aires, Argentina; e-mail: roddh2002@yahoo.fr 1 2 3 4 5 11