Paleoclimatological observations of the late Holocene on Isla de los Estados, Argentina

PALEOCLIMATOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE LATE HOLOCENE ON ISLA DE
LOS ESTADOS (STATEN ISLAND)

Isla de los Estados is an important nexus betwen South America and
Antarctica. A large amount of paleoclimatological studies have been
done on both continents, but the information from Isla de los Estados
is scarce: this work gives the first palaeoenvironmental and
palinological data of the Late Holocene. In a small old glacial circus
at ca. 400 m above sea level, a peat bed of 1.2 m thick was logged and
sampled. The botton of the peat was 14C dated in 1870 + - 60 year
BP. Due climate changes, the ice mass retreated (and perhaps
disappeared completely) to be replaced by glaciolacustrine
deposits and then the growth of the vegetation.

The glaciolacustrine deposits presents a good polinical concentration
and conservation, suggesting the co-existence of Nothofagus forest in
the lower surrounding areas of the island with a glacial environment,
similar to present Patagonia.