Forgotten Landscapes on Lava Flows in France and Western Mexico

Abstract

Monogenetic volcanism has generated blocky lava flows in many parts of the world. These rugged envi- ronments are generally considered unsuited for human settlement, and today are used almost exclusively for quarrying or timber harvesting where vegetation has developed. Furthermore, the difficulty of access limits effective exploration by scientists. Nevertheless, several archaeological sites have been discovered on some of these flows, notably in Mexico. The recent development of remote sensing by airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) offers exceptional prospects for the study of these geological formations and their exploitation by humans. In this paper we compare two contemporary archaeological areas on Quaternary monogenetic blocky lava flows: the Zacapu area in western-central Mexico, and the Chaîne des Puys in Central France. Both areas have benefited from LiDAR coverage. Originally developed in the Mexican context, a remote sensing methodology based on digital elevation model processing and visualization was used to identify geoforms and anthropogenic features in both areas. Although separated by several thousands of kilometers, we show that the methodology is as relevant in France as it is in Mexico. Furthermore, we identified the recurrence of morphologies and associated types of archaeological site locations and patterns. We argue that this type of lava flow, though marginalized today, was attractive to human groups in ancient times as a strategic, but also a resourceful geoecological setting.