Lithological diversity in the geologic-archeological context in Jicotea, Ciego de Ávila province, central Cuba
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Abstract
At the "Tasa de Oro" farm, located 800 m south of the town of Jicotea (Ciego de Ávila province, central Cuba), a multidisciplinary study was conducted to characterize the lithological diversity in a context with archaeological evidence. The area, underlain by the Arabos Formation (Miocene) over Cretaceous volcanic rocks, contains alluvial materials from the Jicotea River and signs of primitive human activity. Through rescue collections and surveys in riverbeds and cultivated soils, supported by the local community, volcanic lithologies (tuffs, ignimbrites, dacites), siliceous rocks (jasper, agate, chalcedony, crystalline and amorphous cuarz), and sedimentary rocks (limestone and radiolaric silicite) were identified. The discovery of opalized fossil wood (xylopalus), likely of Cretaceous age, transported by alluvial flows from the north, stands out. Two lithic tools (grinding slab and pestle) made of ignimbrite were recovered, along with lithic workshop remains (cores and flakes) of opal, radiolaric silicite, and silicified bioclastic limestone; the latter two are exotic to the local substrate, indicating anthropic transport from distant regions. Karstic elements such as pisolites were also collected. The lithic industry is attributed to the Middle Stage of Pre-tribal Appropriators Social Economic Formation. This is the first report of an archaeological site in the region, with a Mesolithic human presence. The study reveals the interaction of natural and anthropic processes in the local lithological diversity and opens a perspective for archaeological and paleontological researches in central Cuba.
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References
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