Terminal Pleistocene-Early Holocene Spatio-Temporal and Settlement Patterns Around Pluvial Lake Mojave, California

Multiple lines of evidence are used to establish terminal Pleistocene‐early Holocene (TP‐EH) spatio‐temporal patterns and settlement strategies around pluvial Lake Mojave, California. Pedestrian surveys and in‐ eld lithic analyses at an area of ancient shorelines as well as an alluvial fan adjacent to Soda Lake provide new insights regarding the role Lake Mojave played in the regional settlement system. Surface lithic scatters identi ed along the Lake Mojave shoreline form three spatially separated, dense artifact bands that follow the ancient shorelines and re ect a time‐transgressive shift in habitation closer to the receding water‐level. Analysis of surface lithic artifacts from an alluvial fan indicates the manufacture of pre‐5,000 cal B.P. felsite bifacial and unifacial implements. Despite evidence for a palimpsest of lithic assemblages in each survey area, we conclude that the underlying TP‐EH spatial and temporal patterns remain largely intact and representative of early human technology and settlement strategies around Lake Mojave