Climate variability on the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico) during the past 3500 years, and implications for Maya cultural evolution

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

CURTIS, J.H.

Dept. of Geology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, Etats-Unis

Description :
This study reconstructs climate variability on the Yucatan Peninsula during the late Holocene (last 3310 C 14 yr) by measuring oxygen isotopes of ostracod and gastropod shells from sediments of Lake Punta Laguna, Quintana Roo. The paleoclimate of the region is important because the Maya Civilization developed in Mesoamerica about 3000 years ago and, mysteriously collapsed around 800 to 900 A.D. The paleoclimatic record provides evidence that multi-decadal and millenial-scale changes in E/P occured on the Yucatan Peninsula during the late Holocene. These wet/dry periodes may have influenced cultural evolution in Mesoamerica.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Quaternary research, issn : 0033-5894, 1996, vol. 46, n°. 1, p. 37-47, Collation : Illustration, Références bibliographiques : 54 ref.

Date :
1996

Editeur :
Pays édition : Etats-Unis, San Diego, CA, Elsevier

Langue :
Anglais