Pages 33–42 in Damiani, C.C. and D.K. Garcelon (eds.). 2009. Proceedings of 33 the 7th California Islands Symposium. Institute for Wildlife Studies, Arcata, CA.

A PALEOCOASTAL SHELL MIDDEN AT SEAL CAVE (CA-SMI-604), SAN MIGUEL ISLAND, CALIFORNIA

JON M. ERLANDSON,1,2 TODD J. BRAJE,3 TORBEN C. RICK,4 TROY DAVIS,2 AND JOHN SOUTHON5

1Museum of Natural and Cultural History, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1224; jerland@uoregon.edu

2Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-12183Department of Anthropology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA 95521-8299

4Archaeobiology Program, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC 20013-0336

5Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697

Abstract—Archaeological test excavations at Seal Cave, a multi-component shell midden located onHarris Point on San Miguel Island, produced evidence for occupation by Paleocoastal peoples betweenabout 10,200 and 9100 calendar years ago. In this paper, we describe the context and chronology of theearly archaeological strata at Seal Cave, including faunal remains and artifacts from the Paleocoastallevels. The well-preserved faunal assemblage is dominated by mussels and other rocky shore shellfish,with lesser quantities of marine fish, sea bird, and sea mammal bone. Artifacts recovered include severalspire-removed Olivella shell beads, a small assemblage of bone tools and tool-making debris, and chippedstone tools made from local Tuqan and Cico cherts. Our results provide valuable information on the natureof maritime Paleocoastal peoples and San Miguel Island ecosystems during the Early Holocene.

INTRODUCTION

The past decade has seen growing interest in thepossibility that the peopling of the Americas mayhave included one or more coastal migrations fromnortheast Asia (see Erlandson 2002; Erlandson et al.2007; Fedje et al. 2004; Kemp et al. 2007). Testingthis idea is difficult, however, because global sealevels have risen more than 120 m since the end ofthe last glacial, drowning the late Pleistocenecoastlines that early maritime peoples would havefollowed on such a journey. Despite such problems,California’s northern Channel Islands haveproduced the earliest evidence for seafaring, islandcolonization, and maritime subsistence in theAmericas (see Erlandson 2007; Johnson et al. 2002;Kennett 2005; Rick et al. 2005). More than 40archaeological sites occupied between about 13,000and 8000 years ago (cal BP) have been identified onthe islands, including four terminal Pleistocene sitesdated between about 13,000 and 11,400 years agoand at least three Early Holocene sites occupiedroughly 10,000 years ago (Erlandson et al. 2008b).Among the oldest shell middens in North America,

these sites provide important information on theantiquity and nature of early maritime culturesalong the Pacific Coast. So far, however, few ofthese early Channel Island sites have beenexcavated, fully analyzed, and reported. In thispaper , we report the resul ts of our recentinvestigations of a Paleocoastal shell midden in SealCave (CA-SMI-604) on San Miguel Island, a rockshelter located on the rugged tip of Harris Point (Fig.1) that appears to have been first occupied about10 ,000 years ago (ca l BP) . The s i te addssignificantly to the evidence for a substantialsettlement of the northern Channel Islands byseafaring Paleocoastal peoples.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF INVESTIGATIONS AT SEAL CAVE

In searching for early archaeological sites on thenor thern Channel I s lands , we focused ongeographic features that attracted early islandersinland from now submerged shorelines. Theseinclude: (1) caves or rock shelters used for shelter;

34 ERLANDSON ET AL.

(2) springs that provided freshwater, especiallyduring the relatively dry summer and fall seasons;and (3) outcrops of chert or other siliceous rockssuitable for making stone tools. Seal Cave was firstidentified in 2001 by University of Oregonarchaeologists assessing the condition of knownarchaeological sites on San Miguel Island for theNational Park Service (Rick and Erlandson 2004).During a visit to two recorded open-air middensnear the northwest tip of Harris Point, we noticed acave prominently positioned at the top of a steepcliff facing westward towards Simonton Cove (Fig.2). No archaeological site was recorded in thislocation and no mention of a cave or rock shelterwas found in site records for the nearby middens.Climbing up to the cave, we found archaeologicalmaterials scattered on the relatively level floor of arock shelter with an arch-like ceiling over 2 m high.Any archaeological materials that once may haveexisted on the slope outside the rock shelter hadbeen lost to sea cliff retreat, which is still activelyeroding a shell midden deposit along the drip line ofthe cave. Because two other cave sites on SanMiguel contain archaeological deposits of terminalP l e i s to c e n e o r E a r l y H o l o c en e a g e , t h eident i f icat ion of another cave s i te was ofconsiderable interest. To establish the depth and ageof the midden inside Seal Cave, we excavated asmall trowel probe to determine the depth of thedeposits and collect radiocarbon (14C) samples fordating. Two 14C dates for well-preserved musselshells from near the top and bottom of the middensuggested that the site was occupied between about

10,150 and 9200 years ago (Rick et al. 2003). Todetermine the nature of the archaeological materialsbeing lost to coastal erosion, we returned to the sitein 2003 and 2006 to excavate a small test pit anddocument the s i te s t ructure , s t ra t igraphy,chronology, and contents.

In keeping with National Park Service policy,our excavations were limited in nature, starting witha small 15 x 20 cm wide trowel probe through about25 cm of intact midden deposits. We later excavateda 1.0 x 0.5 m test unit roughly in the center of theback wall of the rock shelter. This test pit,designated Unit 1, was excavated in two (50 cm x50 cm) stages—the southern half (1S) in 2003 andthe northern half (1N) in 2006. Each half wasexcavated in 5 cm levels, with every effort made toremove discrete strata separately. In the southernhalf of the unit, all excavated sediments werescreened over 1/8-inch mesh, with screen residualstransported to the University of Oregon for analysisunder controlled lab conditions. Sediments from thenorthern half of the unit were screened over 1/16-inch mesh in the field, with whole shells, animalbones, and artifacts recovered during field sorting.

In the lab, we cleaned and sorted screenresiduals into general categories: chipped stone,shell, bone, or other artifacts; unmodified marineshell, animal bone, charcoal, and uncarbonizedplant remains; and non-cultural materials includingunmodified rock and other miscellaneous materials.These general categories were analyzed in greaterdetail, with faunal remains identified to the mostspecific taxon possible, artifacts described bymaterial and function, etc. All identified materials

Figure 1. Map of Santa Barbara Channel area showing thegeneral location of Seal Cave (CA-SMI-604).

Figure 2. Photo of Seal Cave (CA-SMI-604) in 2003, frompoint to west (photo by J. Erlandson).

PALEOCOASTAL SHELL MIDDEN ON SAN MIGUEL ISLAND 35

were weighed and cataloged, and some materials(e.g., 14C, soil, and isotope samples) were sent offfor specialized analyses. In the field and in the lab,the length of whole California mussel (Mytiluscalifornianus) shells, which were extremelyabundant in the site deposits, were measured as partof a larger study of human impacts on intertidal andnear shore ecosystems through the Holocene(Erlandson et al. 2008c). Since the analysis ofvertebrate remains from our 2006 excavation hasnot yet been completed, only a partial account of thefaunal assemblage is presented here.

The chronology of the archaeological strata atSeal Cave is based primarily on 14C dating ofindividual, well-preserved marine shells, correlatedwith the stratigraphy and temporally diagnosticartifacts recovered or observed at the site. Theradiocarbon chronology relies on a combination oftwo conventional and three AMS (accelerator massspectrometry) dates, the latter including two dateson small fragments of spire-removed Olivella shellbeads.

SITE SETTING, SOILS, AND STRATIGRAPHY

The northwest tip of Harris Point is a rugged andremote stretch of San Miguel Island’s north-centralcoast. Seal Cave is located roughly 20 m (~66 feet)above sea level on a sheer cliff overlooking SecretCove. With an opening facing to the southwest, thecave offers an expansive view of Simonton Cove,Otter Point, and the northwest coast of the island.The coastline in the immediate vicinity is dominatedby rocky intertidal habitats, with extensive sandbeaches to the south and west in Simonton Cove.Off Harris Point, the ocean bottom plunges rapidlyinto relatively deep water, so the 26 m isobath thatapproximates the 10,000-year-old shoreline is lessthan 200 m from the modern shoreline (Fig. 3).

Seal Cave is a small rock shelter, with a nearlylevel interior floor about 5 m wide and 3.5 m deep.With a ceiling ranging from about 1.6 m to 2.7 mhigh, the central part of the shelter offers ampleheadroom for people to stand in the interior. Middendeposits cover the entire floor and probably oncedraped the slope outside the shelter. On this cavefloor we found a dark grayish-brown anthropogenicsoil strewn with marine shells, animal bones, bird

feathers, occasional artifacts, and some plantremains. Artifacts noted on the surface includedseveral spire-removed Olivella beads, a small shelldisk bead, a fragment of a circular shell fishhook,and a few pieces of chert tool-making debris. Alsofound on the surface was evidence for animal(probably seabird) activity and two human bones.The human bones, apparently from a singleindividual buried in the northeast corner of the cave,were left in place and no excavations wereconducted in this area.

Along with erosion along the southern edge ofthe rock shelter, some evidence for disturbance ofthe floor was evident, potentially caused by bothhumans and animals. The presence of the humanbones on the site surface suggested some erosion ordisturbance of the site deposits, although no looters’pits or other signs of previous excavation wereapparent. Sheep disturbed some Channel Islandcaves after their introduction in the mid-1850s, andmay have caused erosion to the upper portion of themidden deposits. Cormorants and possibly otherbirds have also nested or roosted in the cave,depositing some animal bones, plant remains,feathers, guano, and other organic debris.

Figure 3. Topography and bathymetry of the Harris Point area,showing the 10 fathom (18 m) isobath, approximating theEarly Holocene shoreline in the Seal Cave (marked by star)vicinity (soundings in fathoms, from NOAA 1987 navigationchart for San Miguel Passage).

36 ERLANDSON ET AL.

We a l so iden t i f i ed c lea r ev idence forstratigraphic integrity in the remaining middendeposits. In Unit 1, for instance, we identified a thin(<1 cm thick) and discontinuous yellowish-whitestratum (II) 4–6 cm below the surface that separatedshell midden deposits (Strata I and III) above andbelow it—marking what appeared to be a break inthe cave occupation (Fig. 4). During excavations,we also found numerous articulated mussel shells(Stratum IIIa)—especially near the walls of the cavein the Early Holocene layers. The outstandingpreservation of faunal remains—includingremnants of periostracum on some very old musselshells—suggests that portions of the middendeposits were buried relatively quickly and were notdisturbed or exposed again until our excavations.

Below the archaeological deposits, we found adark and very loose soil (Stratum IV), denselys tudded wi th sma l l angu la r cobb les . Weencountered occasional voids while excavating thisbasal soil , but i t did not appear to containarchaeological materials. Due to time limitations wewere never able to penetrate more than about 10–15cm into this dark soil and its origin is not wellunderstood. The source of the angular cobblesseems likely to have been the weathering of thedacite bedrock of the cave walls, and the dark colorof the soil could result, in part, from the percolationof fine organics downward from the overlyingmidden.

ANALYTICAL RESULTS

ChronologyFive 14C dates are available for marine shell

samples from Seal Cave (Table 1). The first of thesewas a date of 9440 ± 50 RYBP (OS-34804), with acalibrated age range of 10,140–9940 cal BP,obtained for a well-preserved California musselshell recovered from near the base of a small probeexcavated into the midden in the north end of theshelter floor. After excavating the 50 x 50 cm wideUnit 1S, we obtained two additional dates of 1340 ±60 RYBP (Beta-181393; 780–670 cal BP) and 9030± 90 RYBP (Beta-171120; 9470–9175 cal BP) forunmodified shells from the 0–5 cm and 5–10 cmlevels, respectively. The younger date confirmed asuspected Late Holocene occupation of the siteindicated by the grooved shank fragment from acircular or j-shaped shell fishhook and a small shelldisk bead found on the site surface.

The older date from the 5–10 cm level suggeststhat the bulk of the midden deposit (~5–30 cm)dated to the very Early Holocene. Two additionaldates were later obtained for small fragments of twospire-removed Olivella biplicata shell beads, whichhave been found in several Early Holocene sites onthe northern Channel Islands (see Morris andEr landson 1993 ; Er l andson e t a l . 2005 ) .Unexpectedly, these beads were dated to 6875 ± 25RYBP (UCIAMS-8676; 7240–7150 cal BP) and

Figure 4. Stratigraphic profile of the south wall of Unit 1S at Seal Cave (CA-SMI-604). Drafted by T. Davis from original fielddrawing by J. Erlandson.

PALEOCOASTAL SHELL MIDDEN ON SAN MIGUEL ISLAND 37

6960 RYBP (UCIAMS-8675; 7320–7220 cal BP),suggesting that CA-SMI-604 was also utilizedabout 7200 years ago. Because no midden refuse hasbeen dated to this time period, these beads may beassociated with a ritual use of the cave, depositedalong with the human bones exposed on the sitesurface.

ArtifactsGiven the limited nature of our excavations and

the loss of refuse areas outside the cave to coastalerosion, the number of artifacts recovered from thePaleocoastal levels of Seal Cave is relatively small.They include a small assemblage of chipped stoneartifacts dominated by tool-making debris, twocrude biface fragments, and a few expedient tools; afew Olivella shell beads and bone artifacts; and

several pieces of bitumen (asphaltum) probablyused as a glue or sealant. The bitumen was found allthe way to the base of the Paleocoastal midden andis probably derived from a large oil seep located offthe northwest coast of San Miguel Island.

The chipped stone artifacts recovered from Unit1 consist primarily of tool-making debris made ofTuqan and Cico cherts. Once thought to have beenimported from the mainland, these rock types arenow known to be available in geological outcropsnear the east end of San Miguel (Erlandson et al.2008a). Two crude bifaces made from TuqanMonterey chert were also recovered from thePaleocoastal levels of Unit 1 (Fig. 5), one broad androughly leaf-shaped specimen made from a largeflake removed from a Tuqan chert cobble, and onefragment that appears to have broken during theearly stages of manufacture.

Of the eight shell beads recovered from SealCave, seven are spire-removed Olivella biplicatabeads which are found in Early Holocene and latersites in the Santa Barbara Channel area (King 1990).As noted above, two of these beads were directlydated to about 7200 calendar years ago. The otherOlivella beads could be of similar age, but somemay be associated with the Early Holoceneoccupation. A single shell disk bead found on thesite surface was heavily weathered and could not beidentified to a specific taxon or bead type. The onlyother shell artifact found at Seal Cave was a groovedshank fragment from a circular or j-shaped fishhookobserved on the site surface in 2001. Although notcollected, this fishhook fragment is almost certainlyassociated with a Late Holocene occupation of thecave.

Also recovered from the Paleocoastal levelswere two bone tools (Fig. 6). The first is a bird bone

Table 1. 14C dates for marine shells from Seal Cave (CA-SMI-604).

Sample provenience Lab no. Material 14C age Calendar age (cal BP)

Unit 1S: 0–5 cm Beta-181393 CA mussel 1340 ± 60 780–670

Unit 1S: 5–10 cm UCIAMS-8676 Olivella bead 6875 ± 25 7240–7150

Surface: sea cliff area UCIAMS-8675 Olivella bead 6960 ± 25 7320–7220

Unit 1S: 5–10 cm Beta-171120 CA mussel 9030 ± 90 9470–9175

Probe: ~25 cm (midden base)

OS-34804 CA mussel 9440 ± 50 10,140–9940

Notes: Calendar age ranges BP (before “present” = AD 1950) at one sigma. Calibrated using CALIB 5.01 with a R of 225 ± 35.∆

Figure 5. Two crude bifaces from the Paleocoastal levels atSeal Cave, both made from Tuqan Monterey chert (scannedimage by T. Davis).

38 ERLANDSON ET AL.

awl or pin, cut and squared off on one end andsharpened to a point on the other. The secondappears to be an unfinished bone gorge, partiallyground to a point on both ends. On the interiorsurface of the bone, a groove was carefully cut orsawn along the long axis of the gorge. This pattern isconsistent with a “saw-and-snap” techniquedocumented for the manufacture of bone gorges inthe Early Holocene levels at Daisy Cave (Rick et al.2001). Several shattered fragments of bird bonerecovered may also represent debris from gorge orother bone tool making.

Faunal RemainsThe faunal assemblage from Seal Cave is

comprised primarily of the remains of marineshellfish, including over 15 kg of shell recoveredfrom the Paleocoastal levels of Unit 1S (Table 2). Atleast 24 separate shellfish taxa are represented inthis sample, with a minimum number of 3368individual (MNI) organisms, almost exclusivelyfrom rocky intertidal habitats. Many of theseshellfish taxa provide only miniscule proportions ofthe assemblage by weight, however, and appear tobe either minor dietary contributors (e.g., Tegula,crabs, and chitons) or incidental additions to themidden (tiny limpets, barnacles, and gastropods,etc.). The assemblage is dominated by mussels(especially sea mussels, Mytilus californianus)which comprise almost 92% of the total weight of

shell recovered from the Paleocoastal levels andover 74% of the MNI. In contrast, among the othershellfish species intentionally harvested byPaleocoastal peoples, owl limpets (Lottia gigantea)contribute only about 1.2% of the shell weight (MNI= 34, <1% of the total), while black and red abalones(Haliotis cracherodii and H. rufescens) togethercomprise only about 1.0% of the shell weight andonly 12 individuals. Although they provide onlyabout 1.6% of the shell by weight, leaf or gooseneckbarnacles (Pollicipes polymerus) are relativelyabundant compared to most San Miguel Island shellmiddens.

The abundance of very small mussels in theassemblage suggests that mussels were stripped offintertidal rocks in clumps or mats. The abundance ofarticulated mussels in the Seal Cave midden alsoindicates that mussels were carried to the site whole,where they were processed and discarded afterconsumption. Such a harvesting and processingpattern probably introduced numerous epifauna intothe midden, including the scores of very smallbarnacle, limpet, and gastropod shells found in thesample from Seal Cave. Aggregations of leafbarnacles often live among mats of Californiamussels and platform mussels (Septifer bifurcatus),so these edible barnacles may have been harvestedsimultaneously as clumps of mussels were strippedfrom intertidal rocks. Such stripping techniquesmay also help explain the relatively small averagesize of California mussels in the Paleocoastal strata.The mean size of 363 whole California musselshells from the 5–25 cm levels was just 36.8 mm, thelowest value yet recorded for a site older than 8000years (Fig. 7; see Erlandson et al. 2008c). The meansize of the mussels also declines from the EarlyHolocene to Late Holocene, with 32 whole shellsfrom the 0–5 cm level averaging just 25.3 mm long.

The vertebrate remains from Seal Cave have notyet been fully analyzed, but the Paleocoastal levelsproduced small amounts of marine fish, bird, andmammal bone. The low density of vertebrateremains is typical of most Early Holocene sites(other than Daisy Cave) on the northern ChannelIslands and the adjacent mainland (see Erlandson1994). Most of the fish remains consist ofunidentifiable bone fragments, but among theidentifiable elements analyzed so far, surfperch( E m b i o t o c i d a e ) , C a l i f o r n i a s h e e p h e a d(Semicossyphus pulcher), senorita (Oxyjulis

Figure 6. Bird bone tools and tool-making debris fromPaleocoastal levels at Seal Cave (left to right: 604-204 bonesplinter; 604-112, gorge preform with cut longitudinal groove;604-111, bone splinter; 604-141, ground awl-like tool sawn offat base; scanned image by T. Davis).

PALEOCOASTAL SHELL MIDDEN ON SAN MIGUEL ISLAND 39

Tabl

e 2.

She

llfis

h re

mai

ns fr

om th

e Pa

leoc

oast

al le

vels

of U

nit 1

S at

Sea

l Cav

e (C

A-S

MI-

604)

.

5–10

cm10

–15c

m

15–2

0cm

20–

25cm

25

–30c

mTo

tal

%To

tal

%Taxon

MN

I

Wt.

MN

I

Wt.

MN

I

Wt.

MN

I W

t. M

NI

Wt.

MN

I M

NI

W

t.W

t.Ac

anth

ina

punc

tula

ti1

0.1

1-

0.1

-Am

phis

sa c

olum

bian

a1

0.1

10.

12

0.1

0.2

-Ba

lanu

s spp

.13

015

996

127

4644

.627

22.4

11.

130

08.

935

4.8

2.4

Chi

ton,

und

if.1

0.5

25.

11

3.6

11.

85

0.2

11.0

0.1

Cla

m, u

ndif.

20.

22

0.2

0.5

40.

10.

9-

Cra

b, u

ndif.

11.

11.

51

5.8

16.

03

0.1

14.4

0.1

Cre

pidu

la a

dunc

a1

0.1

1-

0.1

-Fi

ssur

ella

vol

cano

10.

32

1.4

10.

14

0.1

1.8

-G

astro

pods

, und

if.12

0.9

90.

37

0.3

20.

130

0.9

1.6

-H

alio

tis c

rach

erod

ii2

23.4

566

.53

20.7

100.

311

0.5

0.7

Hal

iotis

rufe

scen

s2.

60

-2.

6-

Hal

iotis

, und

if.1

14.6

11.5

6.3

117

.72

0.1

50.1

0.3

Lacu

na v

inct

a4

0.4

1<0

.15

0.2

0.4

-Li

mpe

t, un

dif.

149

10.8

168

16.1

926.

478

18.4

30.

249

014

.651

.80.

3Li

ttori

na p

lana

xis

20.

41

0.06

30.

10.

4-

Lotti

a gi

gant

ea14

49.8

1592

.35

30.3

1.1

341.

017

3.5

1.2

Mod

iolu

s mod

iolu

s2

0.4

20.

51

0.2

50.

21.

2-

Myt

ilus c

alifo

rnia

nus

324

3759

924

6102

479

2659

215

1011

4312

019

8559

.113

652

90.6

Oliv

ella

bip

licat

a1

0.4

1<0

.11

0.4

30.

10.

9-

Polli

cipe

s pol

ymer

us1

113

159

.71

38.8

122

.41

0.8

50.

223

4.2

1.6

Sept

ifer b

ifurc

atus

1810

150

60.1

152

61.2

102

3218

5.1

440

13.1

168.

31.

1Se

rpul

orbi

s spp

.1

1.3

11.

01

1.7

30.

14.

0-

Shel

l, un

dif.

83.9

47.6

3.1

2328

0. 7

0-

158.

71.

1St

rong

yloc

entr

otus

spp.

113

.31

161

4.2

12.

41

0.1

50.

236

.00.

2Te

gula

bru

nnea

10.

31

-0.

3-

Tegu

la fu

nebr

alis

44.

15

11.8

515

.61

7.8

0.4

150.

439

.70.

3Th

ais c

anal

icul

ata

30.

11

0.3

10.

55

0.2

0.9

-Th

ais s

pp.

31.

71

0.4

31.

91

0.4

80.

24.

4-

Tota

ls67

342

5113

9166

2279

828

9743

511

5571

149

3368

100.

015

074

100

Not

e: B

ased

on

1/8-

inch

scre

en re

cove

ry; M

NI =

min

imum

num

ber o

f ind

ivid

uals

.

40 ERLANDSON ET AL.

californica), ling cod (Ophiodon elongatus),rockfish (Sebastes spp.) , and hound shark(Triakidae) have been identified. All these fish taxacan be caught in kelp forest and other near shorehabitats off San Miguel Island. The large mammalremains recovered are fragmented and mostlyunidentifiable, but at least some appear to be fromsea mammals.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Although limited in scope, our research at SealCave has produced valuable information on theantiquity and nature of early maritime adaptationson San Miguel Island. Much of the site appears tohave been lost to coastal erosion, but data recoveredfrom the site remnants suggest that the cave wasused episodically by the Chumash and theirpredecessors during the Early, Middle, and LateHolocene. The most recent of these episodes was anoccupation about 700 years ago (AD 1250),represented by the truncated midden remnantsfound in the upper 4–6 cm of Unit 1. A MiddleHolocene use of the cave, presently identified onlyby AMS 14C dates for two Olivella beads of about

7200 years ago, may be related to a ritual use of therock shelter as a burial place. The most extensiveuse of the cave is marked by 20–25 cm of darkanthropogenic midden soil deposited between about10,150 and 9200 years ago, possibly during two ormore discrete occupations by Paleocoastal peoples.While it seems likely that the early occupation of thecave was intermittent, the lack of microstratigraphyand the available 14C dates do not currently allowfurther resolution of the early occupationalchronology.

Due to the small size of the artifact assemblageand the lack of detailed data on the vertebrateremains, the conclusions we can make about thenature of Paleocoastal adaptations at Seal Cave arelimited. Nonetheless, several aspects of theassemblage are generally consistent with data fromseveral other Early Holocene sites on San MiguelIsland, including: (1) a heavy economic emphasison shellfish collecting in rocky intertidal habitats;(2) faunal and artifactual evidence for a broadersubsistence economy that included marine fishingand hunting; (3) an early fishing technology thatemployed bone gorge f ishhooks careful lymanufactured with a combination of “saw-and-snap” and grinding methods; (4) a chipped stone

Figure 7. Mean California mussel shell size in Early and Late Holocene components (marked by black stars) at Seal Cave,compared to other San Miguel Island sites (adapted from Erlandson et al. 2008c). The bar at the base identifies periods of relativelycool (c), warm (w), or intermediate (n) sea surface temperatures (see Kennett 2005).

PALEOCOASTAL SHELL MIDDEN ON SAN MIGUEL ISLAND 41

technology including bifaces and expedient toolsmade primarily from local raw material types,including Tuqan and Cico cherts, as well as coarse-grained metavolcanic cobbles; and (5) spire-removed Olivel la beads used for personalornamentation.

Because Seal Cave is rapidly being lost tocoastal erosion, we are fortunate to have identifiedthe Paleocoastal and later components at the sitebefore they were completely destroyed. Seal Cave isone of over 30 archaeological sites on San MiguelIsland now known to have been occupied on one ormore occasions between about 12,000 and 8000years ago. As such, it provides additional evidencefor a relatively substantial presence of earlymaritime peoples on the northern Channel Islands.The antiquity and number of early si tes isparticularly impressive considering that theshorelines and extensive coastal lowlands of theterminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene have beenlost to erosion or submerged by rising seas since theLast Glacial Maximum. Given the number andvariety of early sites documented in the area,however, it seems increasingly likely that there wasa permanent occupation of the northern ChannelIslands by Paleocoastal peoples, beginning as muchas 13,000 years ago. Whether these early ChannelIslanders were descended from maritime peoplewho followed the coastlines from Asia into theAmericas is not yet known. What is clear is that theChannel Islands and the Pacific Coast of NorthAmerica were settled by relatively sophisticatedmaritime peoples much earlier than most Americanarchaeologists would have believed possible just adecade or two ago.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The preparation of this paper was supported bya variety of individuals and organizations. AtChannel Islands National Park, we are particularlyindebted to Ann Huston, Ian Williams, and KellyMinas for their logistical and intellectual support.Our work at Seal Cave was made possible byfunding from the National Park Service, theNational Science Foundation, the Foundation forExploration and Research on Cultural Origins, andour home institutions. In the laboratory, MelissaReid and Beverly Fernandez provided essential

support. Finally, we thank Christine Damiani,David Garcelon, and anonymous reviewers foreditorial comments and assistance in the review andproduction of this paper.

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