This is nowhere more evident than in his analysis of the structure and composition of the Emeryville Shellmound. Based on characteristics of the sediments, such as particle shape and size, orientation, degree of weathering, and the frequency distribution of these variables within and between strata, Nelson attempts to decipher the complex processes that formed the mound. In so doing, Nelson's insights of 1906 foreshadow the current emphasis in archaeology on formation processes and taphonomy. The manuscript contains many such precocious archaeological insights. Archaeology and Shell Middens.
Culture sequences in central California archaeology.
American Antiquity 14, 1-28. The Emeryville site, viewed 93 years later. A New Look at Some Old Sites . Archives of California Prehistory No. 6. Coyote Press, pp.