Modeling and Monitoring Submerged Prehistoric Sites during Offshore Sand Dredging and Implications for the Study of Early Holocene Coastal Occupation of Southern California

Beach sand dredging projects off the coast of San Diego County in Southern California provide data for improved understanding of the strategraphic setting for early Holocene sediments and the potential for offshore presence of buried archaeological materials.  Geophysical data, core sediments, and analysis of recovered fossils allowed models to be developed for six offshore borrow sites within drown river valleys.  These site-specific models were tested during dredging operations, and the dredge spoil was monitored for archaeological materials.  Two of the borrow sites yielded stone bowls consistent with those found in previous offshore archaeological investigations in this region.  These artifacts, however, were determined to come from nearshore and lagoonal sediments, not appropriate for occupation, raising questions about both the function of stone bowls and the process that resulted in their deposition.  This project illustrates the potential for commercial development projects to y...