MACROFLORAL ANALYSIS OF HEARTH FILL, CHARCOAL IDENTIFICATION, AND AMS RADIOCARBON AGE DETERMINATION OF CHARCOAL FROM PREHISTORIC SITE CM-1, KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

Site CM-1 lies in the Western Mojave Desert subregion northwest of California City in Kern County, California. A hearth exposed during RE Cinco Solar Project construction grading activities in the area yielded numerous fire-affected rocks, charcoal, one mano fragment, ochre, a bone fragment, one charred or uncharred juniper (Juniperus) seed and several lithics, including an obsidian flake (Christopher Duran, personal communication June 24, 2015). Sediment samples were collected in and around the main cluster of fire-affected rocks for macrofloral analysis to recover and identify plants used by site occupants. In addition, a single charcoal sample was submitted for identification and AMS radiocarbon age determination to
ascertain the period of use.

CM-1遗址坐落于美国加利福尼亚州克恩县加利福尼亚市西北侧的西莫哈韦沙漠亚区。该区域内RE Cinco太阳能项目施工平整作业期间暴露的一处灶址，出土了大量火烧岩石、木炭、1件手磨（mano）残件、赭石、1块骨片、1粒炭化或未炭化的桧属（Juniperus）种子，以及包括1件黑曜岩石片在内的多件石制品（据Christopher Duran 2015年6月24日私人通信）。研究人员在火烧岩石主堆积及其周边采集了沉积物样本，用于大植物遗存分析，以提取并鉴定该遗址使用者所利用的植物种类。此外，研究人员还提交了1份木炭样本用于物种鉴定，并开展加速器质谱（Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, AMS）放射性碳定年，以确定该遗址的使用时段。