Peruaçu River Canyon

Rising water flow as a factor of organic material importation into caves

Research at Carlúcio Cave, situated in the Peruaçu River Canyon within Brazil's semiarid Minas Gerais region, reveals that episodic rises in river water levels—triggered by natural barriers—facilitate the transport and accumulation of organic material into caves. The study identified at least four Holocene flood events responsible for depositing 1,399 mollusk shells (70% Drymaeus sp.), bones, plant remains, charcoals, a palm fruit, and a corncob in the cave. Using carbon-14 and uranium-series dating, along with taphonomic analysis, scientists established the deposit's chronology and demonstrated that material was carried upward by flooding waters before being retained as water levels receded. This mechanism challenges traditional assumptions about cave sediment deposition and sheds light on fluvial geomorphological processes in arid environments.