Sites

The comprise an extensive scatter of shellfish remains, which occur along the top of an abandoned coastal dune cordon between km 0.2 and 0.6. This dune cordon is a relict feature of a mid-Holocene ( last 500 years) slightly higher sea level (Parkington et al 1992)  Two large nodes of shellfish were identified along the top of the dune cordon, but scattered shellfish remains are aligned along the crest  of the fossil dune running alongside of the Orex road. Shellfish fragments and the occasional stone tool also occur in the vegetated the dunes slacks. Shell remains are also associated with dune mole rat activity along the dune cordon , indicating the possible presence of buried shell middens The Orex 1 shellfish remains are dominated by mainly fragments of black mussel with smaller amounts of white mussel, limpets and whelks also occurring. Stone tools, comprising modified and unmodified flakes, chunks and cores, predominantly in silcrete and quartz were identified on the site  A lager quartzite were also found. Research in this area has established that large numbers of LSA hunter-gatherer campsites are located some two km north of elands bay and about 600 m from the present shore line, in this area incorporating the Orex Road Study area, shellfish remains are partly exposed at the surface but mostly covered by up to 2 m of aolian sand ( Parkington et al 1992 and pers comm 2002)