| A continuing debate exists between Orange County archaeologists on whether or not a regional temporal shift occurred in the dominant shellfish species found in the archaeological sites around Newport Bay, California. With the use of a Geographical Information System, this study examined 153 archaeological sites around Newport Bay and found that a significant regional temporal shift did occur. The dominant shellfish species procured during Horizon III, Pectin, was replaced by Chione, as the dominant shellfish species procured in Horizon IV. Further investigation into the causal factors of this shift reveals that the shift was in response to accelerated sedimentation, a by-product of increased precipitation. The accelerated sedimentation adversely affected the Pectin population, which, in turn, compelled the prehistoric inhabitants of Newport Bay into procuring an alternate food source, the Chione. |
