Socio-ecological impact of monogenetic volcanism

Abstract

Abstract Although volcanism may and has caused major impacts during Earth evolution, including climate change and mass extinctions, the impact of monogenetic volcanism is usually considered as limited or underestimated in volcanological research. During the Late Glacial- Early Holocene (14 − 8.6 kyr cal BP) transition, intense monogenetic volcanic activity occurred in the La Garrotxa Volcanic Field (GVF, Girona, NE Iberia). This work provides for the first time an interdisciplinary approach to the socio-ecological impact of monogenetic volcanism, providing clear effects of environmental change on geomorphology, vegetation, aquatic organisms and humans. These analyses enabled us to identify eruptions not previously reported in theGVFduring the Late Glacial-Early Holocene, constrain their volcanic stratigraphy and age, and reconstruct the major palaeoenvironmental changes caused by the eruptions in terms of fire episodes and subsequent disturbance on vegetation, hydrology and limnological conditions. The archaeological record in the region shows that the last hunter-gatherer communities were resilient against volcanic activity at an extra-local scale, suggesting that their flexible nomadic patterns and foraging economies were an efficient source of risk management against the volcanic eruptions and their ecological impacts.