POLLEN, STARCH, MACROFLORAL, PROTEIN RESIDUE, AND ORGANIC RESIDUE (FTIR) ANALYSES AT SITE CA-SDI-4281, CALIFORNIA

Samples from the fill of fire-altered rock and shell features at Site CA-SDI-4281 in southern California near the Mexican border were examined for pollen, starches, and macrofloral remains. In addition, pollen/starch samples were recovered from a column through a single 120 cm deep unit. Three groundstone and three projectile points were analyzed for the presence of protein and organic residues, the latter using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Conventional radiocarbon dates obtained from shell samples at the site range from approximately 7070 to 2380 RCYBP, representing at least the La Jolla Complex and Millingstone Period. The site appears to have been occupied both before and after sea level stabilization (Mark Peterson, personal communication, March 20, 2009). The various archaebotanic analyses will be used to provide subsistence information concerning plant and animal resources utilized by the prehistoric site occupants.