Archaeological Investigations of the Intertidal Ecotone on the Central Pacific Coast of Canada

Summary

On the outer central Pacific coast of Canada, the intertidal zone is a highly productive ecotone that lies between temperate rainforest and marine biomes. The tide comes in and out over five vertical metres twice everyday. While the tide is out, our research teams have been investigating archaeological aspects of intertidal strata, artifacts and features. Stratigraphically the intertidal zone provides a window into the late Pleistocene archaeology of the region. Our subsurface testing into beach deposits has uncovered preserved late Pleistocene strata with associated flakes, cores, projectile points, wood chips and human footprints. Some early Holocene assemblages have also been found which include animal bones accumulations and lithics. A variety of petroform features are prevalent on beaches in front of later Holocene shell middens including canoe runs, circular meeting places, cleared trails and activity areas, fish traps, and clam garden walls. Overall, archaeological investigations in the region point to the long-term importance of the intertidal ecotone as a place for focussed and intensive land and resource use as well as social interaction.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Archaeology of Stranded, Intertidal, and Submerged Shorelines on the Northwest Coast of North America

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17328