Alluvial fans are typical geomorphic features of arid and semiarid mountain areas. Most archaeological sites in Santa María valley (NW Argentina) are located on this kind of landform. The aims of this paper are to describe the geomorphological context and assess the state of conservation of four archaeological sites on the piedmont of Sierra de Quilmes (NW Argentina) from a geoarchaeological perspective; to diagnose the geomorphological processes affecting the sites over the last 50 years; to assess their vulnerability and conservation hazard; and to propose some corrective measures. By mapping with remote sensors (e.g., drones, aerial photographs, and satellite images) and conducting field surveys, we found that most archaeological sites are set on the H1 and H2 units of the alluvial fans. and that their geomorphological dynamic has increased in the last 50 years. The main active processes are debris flows, overflows, and mudflows, accompanied by the development of rills, sheetflood, and aeolian deflation. Human impact is also severe. The four sites need mitigation measures and a structured management plan. To date, no studies of this kind have been done rin the region, although one of the sites has been partially reconstructed for touristic purposes.

中文翻译：

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圣玛丽亚谷（阿根廷西北部）考古遗址的遗产保护危害：一种地质考古学方法

冲积扇是干旱半干旱山区的典型地貌特征。圣玛丽亚山谷（阿根廷西北部）的大多数考古遗址都位于这种地形上。本文的目的是从地质考古学的角度描述地貌背景并评估 Sierra de Quilmes（阿根廷西北部）山前四个考古遗址的保护状况；诊断过去 50 年来影响遗址的地貌过程；评估其脆弱性和保护危害；并提出一些纠正措施。通过使用遥感器（如无人机、航拍照片和卫星图像）进行测绘并进行实地调查，我们发现大多数考古遗址都设置在冲积扇的H1和H2单元上。并且它们的地貌动态在过去 50 年中有所增加。主要的活动过程是泥石流、溢流和泥石流，伴随着细沟、片状洪水和风变通缩的发展。人为的影响也很严重。这四个站点需要缓解措施和结构化的管理计划。迄今为止，尚未对该地区进行过此类研究，尽管其中一个遗址已部分重建用于旅游目的。