A distinct feature of many of the earliest archaeological sites (13,000-11,200 cal yr BP) at the core of the Atacama Desert is that they lie at or just below the surface, often encased in desert pavements. In this study, we compare these sites and undisturbed desert pavements to understand archaeological site formation and pavement development and recovery. Our results indicate these pavements and their soils are poorly developed regardless of their age. We propose that this is because of sustained lack of rain and extreme physical breakdown of clasts by salt expansion. Thus, the core of the Atacama provides an example of the lower limits of rainfall (<50 mm/yr) needed to form desert pavements. At site Quebrada Maní 12 (QM12), humans destroyed the pavement. After abandonment, human-made depressions were filled with eolian sands, incorporating artifacts in shallow deposits. Small and medium-sized artifacts preferentially migrated upwards, perhaps due to earthquakes and the action of salts. These artifacts, which now form palimpsests at the surface, helped – along with older clasts - to restore surface clast cover. Larger archaeological features remained undisturbed on top of a deeper Byzm horizon. The vesicular A horizons (Av horizons) have not regenerated on the archaeological sites due to extreme scarcity of rainfall during the Holocene.

中文翻译：

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智利阿塔卡马沙漠古印度遗址和沙漠路面形成过程

阿塔卡马沙漠核心的许多最早的考古遗址（13,000-11,200 cal yr BP）的一个显着特征是它们位于地表或略低于地表，通常被包裹在沙漠人行道中。在这项研究中，我们比较了这些遗址和未受干扰的沙漠路面，以了解考古遗址的形成以及路面的发展和恢复。我们的研究结果表明，这些路面及其土壤发育不良，无论其年龄如何。我们认为这是因为持续缺乏降雨和盐膨胀导致碎屑的极端物理分解。因此，阿塔卡马的核心提供了形成沙漠路面所需的降雨下限（<50 毫米/年）的示例。在 Quebrada Maní 12 (QM12) 现场，人类摧毁了人行道。废弃后，人造洼地被风成沙填满，在浅层沉积物中加入人工制品。中小型文物优先向上迁移，可能是由于地震和盐分的作用。这些人工制品现在在地表形成了复写本，与较旧的碎屑一起帮助恢复了地表碎屑覆盖。在更深的比兹姆地平线之上，更大的考古特征保持不变。由于全新世期间降雨极度稀缺，考古遗址上的水泡 A 层位（Av 层位）没有再生。在更深的比兹姆地平线之上，更大的考古特征保持不变。由于全新世期间降雨极度稀缺，考古遗址上的水泡 A 层位（Av 层位）没有再生。在更深的比兹姆地平线之上，更大的考古特征保持不变。由于全新世期间降雨极度稀缺，考古遗址上的水泡 A 层位（Av 层位）没有再生。