This integrated pedo-geoarchaeological study focuses on three abandoned pre-Hispanic terrace agricultural systems near Laramate in the southern Andes of Peru (14.5 degrees S), aiming to unravel the pedological and land-use history of the region, which served as a significant agricultural hub during pre-Hispanic times. The key objectives of the investigation involved contextualizing the former agricultural management system within its geomorphological and palaeoecological framework and assessing the impact of agricultural practices on soil development and quality by comparing non-irrigated agricultural terrace soils with their undisturbed palaeo-pedological counterparts. The Laramate terrace complex, with its diverse terrace systems and varied geomorphological and geological settings, provided an ideal setting for the investigation. This comprehensive examination integrated a range of methodologies, including field surveys, digital mapping, and geomorphological analysis based on GIS and remote sensing applications, soil analysis (e.g. grain size, bulk chemistry, nutrient budget), plant microfossils (phytoliths and starch), and radiocarbon dating.In the Laramate region, the geomorphological setting of terrace agricultural systems promotes their optimal functioning. The terraces are often located in sun-sheltered areas with western exposure on middle and lower slopes or valley bottoms, which mitigate intense solar radiation, reduce evapotranspiration, increase soil moisture, and minimize erosion. The study identifies three soil groups in the Laramate region: Phaeozems, Andosols, and Anthrosols. Unique characteristics of Phaeozems challenge typical descriptions, influenced by factors such as climatic seasonality, vegetation, fauna, lithology, and aeolian inputs. The terrace soils in the Laramate region are classified as Terric Anthrosols, showing no significant degradation even after long-term use. Their balanced acidity and nutrient levels support Andean crop cultivation. Traditional non-mechanized tools, such as the chaquitaclla and rucana, likely minimized soil disruption. The terrace tillage horizons have high organic matter, indicating intentional organic manuring. Phytolith concentrations suggest intensive agricultural activity, particularly maize cultivation, with varying patterns suggesting changes in cultivation, fertilization, or mulching practices over time. Starch grain identification aligns with phytolith analyses, reinforcing maize's significance in the region. Although the use of animal-origin fertilizers requires further investigation, there is no evidence of nutrient maintenance through seasonal burning. Irrigation was minimal, and the abandonment of the pre-Hispanic cultivation system was unlikely due to soil exhaustion or terrace instability.Overall, the pre-Hispanic history of terrace agriculture in the Laramate region extends over four development phases, reflecting dynamic interactions between environmental, cultural, and agricultural factors. The initial phase, from the Formative Paracas period to the Early Nasca period (800 BCE-200 CE), witnessed the establishment of agricultural terraces with simple terrace architecture, while the Middle Horizon (600-1000 CE) saw systematic areal expansion influenced by the Wari culture. Adaptations to drier conditions included terrace agriculture on volcanic soils. The Late Intermediate period (1000-1450 CE) witnessed hydrological variability and further terrace expansion to lower altitudes and less agriculturally suitable locations. The final phase, marked by the onset of the Hispanic colonial period in 1535 CE, saw the gradual abandonment of terrace agricultural systems due to demographic shifts and reorganization of production systems. Despite this, the historical trajectory underscores the adaptability and resilience of pre-Hispanic communities in the Laramate region, showcasing innovative terrace agriculture as a means of coping with changing environmental conditions across diverse landscape units.

Joachim Eberle, Bernhard Eitel, Wolf Dieter Blümel und Peter Wittmann: Deutschlands Süden vom Erdmittelalter zur Gegenwart. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg 2007. 188 Seiten mit zahlreichen farbigen Fotos und Grafiken. Gebunden, € 39,95. ISBN 978-3-8274-1506-6

For the first time, an isolated cushion-plant peat hillock was investigated, a so far neglected feature of high-Andean spring ecosystems. These small hillocks typically cluster around springs within the upper catchment areas of larger cushion-plant peatlands at altitudes ranging from 4000 m to 5000 m a.s.l. The size of the investigated peat hillock, located within the Rio Viscas catchment area (Lucanas province, District of Ayacucho) at 4250 m a.s.l., is relatively small (about 10 m in diameter). Due to its dome-shaped and densely green habitus, it overlooks the surrounding vegetation by about 1-2m and stands out by its color. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) techniques are used in order to provide insights into the spatial extension of the Distichia muscoides-dominated vegetation stand. For the reconstruction of environmental dynamics during the past millennium, plant micro-/macrofossil analyses and total carbon/total nitrogen measurements were applied. Based on radiocarbon dating, the peat archive provides a chronology for the past 1050 years. We interpret phases of relatively high abundances of Poaceae pollen in our record as an expansion of Andean grasslands during humid phases. Drier conditions are indicated by a decrease of Poaceae pollen and higher abundances of Asteraceae pollen. The results reflect significant climate oscillations and provide evidence for a sustained dry phase between AD 900 and AD 1100. A more humid and cooler phase prevailed from around AD 1300 to AD 1825, during the Little Ice Age. Our data provide evidence that such a spatially defined peat-accumulating ecosystem, as represented by the studied peat hillock, is capable to survive pronounced climatic oscillations as long as it does not lose its protective cushion-plant surface. As peat hillocks are heavily affected by grazing, multitemporal studies should be carried out to document changes and to provide new insights into adaption strategies of vegetation to changing environmental conditions.

Until recently, the environmental history of the entire Central Andes was thought to be uniform. New insights about cultural dynamics show a recurrent pattern of boom and decline, coincident to regional changes in environmental favorability, which was out-of-phase. Remote palaeoclimatic proxy data from the tropics showthat these changes were triggered by ENSO variability. El Nino-like conditions and an enhanced South American Summer Monsoon (SASM) led to moisture transport to the Titicaca region, whereas La Nina-like conditions and a weak SASM were the prerequisites for drought around lake Titicaca and enhancedrainfall in the Palpa-Laramate region further north, supporting its lowland oases. This seesaw occurred several times since the Mid-Holocene, pointing to a general underlying mechanism of regional impacts of the superimposed ENSO system.

Due to large deserts on Earth surface a thorough understanding of climate change, landscape evolution and geomorphological processes having occurred in deserts is crucial for Earth System Science. The landscapes in deserts are, however, diverse and different over the globe with regard to their geomorphological nature, human activities and geological histories. In the last decades a great number of efforts have been put to the investigation of the initial timing of the occurrence of arid climate, e.g. in northwestern China. Silty sediments in the downwind directions have been used to deduce the histories of deserts. In general, there is a lack of knowledge about processes and landscapes in Chinese drylands between the initial Miocene silt sedimentation at desert margins and the late Quaternary multiple occurrences of wetter climate with assumed large lakes in many of the deserts in northern China. The geomorphological concept of three primary triggering factors, i.e., the sediment supply, sediment availability and transport capacity of wind, and additionally the underground geology need to be fully considered for a better understanding of the environmental histories of sand seas which should not be viewed as equivalent for deserts because sand seas cover between < 1% and ca. 45% of the desert areas in various continents dependent on a complex interaction between various processes of both exogenous and endogenous origins.