Settlement and sea-levels on the central coast of British Columbia: Evidence from shell midden cores

Coring of shell-midden sites provides a regional chronology of site settlem ent in the Namu vicinity on the central coast British Columbia. Coring prov ed an accurate and cost-effective alternative to traditional test-excavatio n, and its application in only two short field seasons doubled the number o f sites tested in this region. The dating of basal cultural deposits from t he cores shows initial occupation of sites ranging from 10,000 to 800 B.P. These dates exhibit a strong linear relationship with the current elevation of deposits above average high ride, suggesting that the settlement histor y of known shell-midden sites in this region is strongly linked to gradual long-term decline in I relative sea levels.