San Josecito Cave and Its Paleoecological Contributions for Quaternary Studies in Mexico

Bibliographic Data

ID15801820
AuthorsJoaquin Arroyo-Cabrales (0000-0002-9095-489X, Texas Tech University, corresponding author), Eileen Johnson (0000-0001-8324-0568, Texas Tech University), J Alberto Cruz (0000-0003-0260-2219, Commonwealth of Learning)
Year2021
Volume4
Issue4
Pages34-34
Publication date2021-10-26
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueQuaternary (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2571-550X • E-ISSN: 2571-550X
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/quat4040034
OpenAlexW3209596270
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited58

San Josecito Cave (2250 m elevation) is located nearby Aramberri, Nuevo León, northeastern Mexico, with excavations occurring in 1935–1941 and 1990. It is a paleontological cave and the significance of its faunal data rests in the understanding of the Quaternary ecosystems of the Mexican Plateau and the Southern Plains. This significance is underpinned by a consideration of associated stratigraphic and geochronological data. The fauna is composed of mollusks, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. More than 30 extinct vertebrate species have been identified, constituting one of the most important Quaternary localities in the Americas. Radiocarbon dates and faunal correlations indicate the excavated deposits represent an interval of time between 45,000 and 11,000 14C years BP. The current synthesis demonstrates that the previous view of the assemblage as a single local fauna is erroneous and that, instead, several successive local faunas are present within a stratigraphic framework. This finding underscores the need for detailed studies of single localities in building paleoenvironmental models. As a corollary, results point to the necessity of including all vertebrate classes represented from a locality in building those models. In addition, the field and analytical methodologies demonstrate the importance of very detailed paleontological excavations, with precise spatial and temporal controls, to assess the taphonomic history of a locality, construct a stratigraphic and geochronological framework, and infer the paleoecological conditions during the time span considered based on the number of local faunas represented. The recognition of San Josecito Cave as an important Late Pleistocene vertebrate paleontological locality is enhanced with the consideration of its faunal data for paleoenvironment reconstruction and possible contribution to Quaternary paleoclimatic modeling

Archaeology · Biology · Cave · Fauna · Faunal assemblage · Geography · Pleistocene · Quaternary · Radiocarbon dating · Taphonomy · Taxonomy (biology · Type locality · Vertebrate · Evolution and Paleontology Studies · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Ecology · Geology · Paleontology

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