%0 Journal Article %J Journal of Quaternary Science %D 2005 %T Palaeoindian occupation of the Atacama Desert, northern Chile %A Martin Grosjean %A Núñez, Lautaro %A Isabel Cartajena %P 643-653 %U http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jqs.969 %V 20 %X Palaeoindian occupation of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile has been found between 12 600 and 10 200 cal. yr BP. The new site at Salar Punta Negra (24°28?S/60°53?W/2976 m) includes about 1000 classifiable, mostly unifacial artefacts and, uniquely, three different diagnostic types of early projectile points. Two of the Lateglacial/early Holocene projectile types have wide distribution and are known from different geographical areas in South America: the Palaeoindian ?Fell? fish-tail point mainly from the southern cone of South America, and the triangular ?Tuina? points typical of the Puna of the south-central Andes in northern Chile and northwestern Argentina. In addition, we found a third type, a stemmed point typical for the Salar Punta Negra. Filling a large geographical gap of ?Fell? occupation, the site at Salar Punta Negra provides evidence for generally much higher mobility and diversity of early cultures, and supports an Andean-Pacific route for early human exploration of South America to the south through the desert at intermediate altitudes. Contemporaneous high-amplitude climatic changes were fundamental preconditions to provide adequate environments and habitats, and to make Palaeoindian hunting-gathering occupation possible in the Atacama Desert. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. %Z 10.1002/jqs.969 %@ 1099-1417