Terras Pretas: Approaches to Formation Processes in a New Paradigm
Received: 6 April 2016 Revised: 14 June 2017 Accepted: 19 June 2017 DOI: 10.1002/gea.21647 REVIEW ARTICLE Terras pretas: Approaches to formation processes in a new paradigm Dirse Clara Kern1 Helena Pinto Lima2 Jucilene Amorim da Costa3 Herdjania Veras de Lima4 Anna Browne Ribeiro5 Bruno Marcos Moraes6 Nestor Kämpf7 1Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Av. Perimetral, 1901 – Terra Firme – Telefone: 55 91 3075 6272 Abstract -Cep:66077-530–Belém-PA-Brasil,Pará, Terras pretas (Amazonian Dark Earths) are a remarkable kind of archaeological site found in the Brazil Amazon region. Rich in cultural artifacts and other occupational debris, these dark anthropogenic 2 Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Pará, Brazil soil matrices are very fertile, presenting high levels of organic carbon, phosphorus, calcium, mag- 3 Universidade Federal do Amapá, Rod. Juscelino nesium, zinc, and manganese. Their high nutrient levels come from decomposed organic matter, Kubitscheck, 3296-3364 – Jardim Equatorial, including remains of fish, shellfish, game, and other refuse, while their dark color has been linked Macapá – AP,68903-419, Amapá, Brazil to residual charcoal from intentional fires associated with daily activities and landscape manage- 4Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia, Av. Perimetral, 2501 – Terra Firme, Belém – PA, ment. Studies of anthropogenic earths in the Amazon have a deep history, as much in the geo- 66077-830, Pará, Brazil sciences as in archaeology and other historical sciences. Terras pretas have been studied as evi- 5University of Louisville, Lutz Hall Room 228, dence of a major shift in human–environment relations, but also within the lens of environmen- Louisville, Kentucky 40292 tal resiliency and sustainability.
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