The Sudden Flats Site: A Pleistocene/Holocene Transition Shell Midden on Alta California's Central Coast

Abstract

Excavations at the Sudden Flats site on the coast of Vandenberg Air Force Base (AFB) revealed a dense, single-component shell midden dating around 10,725 calibrated years before present. Subsistence remains indicate a focus on shellfish, marine fish, and small mammals. Contrary to expectations, the emphasis on marine resources is not unusual compared to later shell middens on the Vandenberg coast. Surprisingly, however, the lithic assemblage includes burins, burin spalls, and microblades—all items not found in Vandenberg AFB assemblages later in time. The site also yielded much higher proportions of obsidian than found during subsequent time periods, suggesting that exchange networks were active and extensive during these very early times.