Climate Change, Rock Coatings, and the Archaeological Record

Research Article| June 01, 2017 Climate Change, Rock Coatings, and the Archaeological Record David S. Whitley; David S. Whitley 1 ASM Affiliates 20424 West Valley Blvd., Suite A Tehachapi, CA, 93561 USA E-mail: dwhitley@asmaffiliates.com Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Calogero M. Santoro; Calogero M. Santoro 2 Laboratorio de Arqueología y Paleoambiente, Instituto de Alta Investigación Universidad de Tarapacá Antofagasta 1520, CP100236 Arica, Chile E-mail: calogero_santoro@yahoo.com Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Daniela Valenzuela Daniela Valenzuela 3 Departamento de Antropología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales Universidad Alberto Hurtado Almirante Barroso N° 10 Santiago CP6500620, Chile E-mail: dani.valenzu@gmail.com Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information David S. Whitley 1 ASM Affiliates 20424 West Valley Blvd., Suite A Tehachapi, CA, 93561 USA E-mail: dwhitley@asmaffiliates.com Calogero M. Santoro 2 Laboratorio de Arqueología y Paleoambiente, Instituto de Alta Investigación Universidad de Tarapacá Antofagasta 1520, CP100236 Arica, Chile E-mail: calogero_santoro@yahoo.com Daniela Valenzuela 3 Departamento de Antropología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales Universidad Alberto Hurtado Almirante Barroso N° 10 Santiago CP6500620, Chile E-mail: dani.valenzu@gmail.com Publisher: Mineralogical Society of America First Online: 29 Nov 2017 Online Issn: 1811-5217 Print Issn: 1811-5209 Copyright © 2017 by the Mineralogical Society of AmericaMineralogical Society of America Elements (2017) 13 (3): 183–186. https://doi.org/10.2113/gselements.13.3.183 Article history First Online: 29 Nov 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation David S. Whitley, Calogero M. Santoro, Daniela Valenzuela; Climate Change, Rock Coatings, and the Archaeological Record. Elements 2017;; 13 (3): 183–186. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gselements.13.3.183 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyElements Search Advanced Search Rock varnish commonly occurs in arid environments. It can coat not only rock surfaces but also any exposed prehistoric stone artifacts and rock art. Thin sections of varnish coatings reveal microlaminations that reflect major changes between wet versus dry paleoclimates. These microlami-nations can be used to assign minimum ages to the underlying rock surface, providing dates for otherwise undateable stone artifacts and rock art. This dating approach has provided important information about the peopling of the Americas (North and South America), including how and when the native American populations adapted to changing climatic conditions. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.