Pilauco Bajo
Gomphothere models in Parque Pleistocénico de Osorno, a park inspired by the findings of Pilauco Bajo. | |
| Location | Southern Chile |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°34′12″S 73°06′14″W / 40.57000°S 73.10389°W |
| Type | open-air |
| History | |
| Associated with | [First American Settlers] |
| Events | Younger Dryas impact (claimed) |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 2007–present |
| Archaeologists | Mario Pino Quivira (leader) and others |
| Ownership | Bienes Nacionales de Chile |
| Management | Austral University of Chile and Ilustre Municipalidad de Osorno |
| Public access | Partial |
Pilauco is a paleontological and archaeological site located in the city of Osorno in Southern Chile. The site contains both human made lithic artifacts and megafauna remains–including gomphotheres. All the horizons containing megafauna and evidence of human activity date to the late Pleistocene. The calibrated radiocarbon dates indicate there was human activity in the site between 16,400 and -12,800 cal years B.P.
The site was claimed to contain evidence for the disputed Younger Dryas impact hypothesis.
Most of the stone artifacts found in Pilauco are made of volcanic rock such as dacite, rhyodacite and rhyolite from the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex immediately east in the Andes. Yet these rocks were imported by humans to the site as nearby rivers have not transported it.