Routine pollen analysis is reported for 11 sediment samples from 9 archaeological sites on San Clemente Island, western-coastal U.S.A. Pollen preservation is good (1 - 18 % Deteriorated), and the pollen concentration is high (14,000 - 170,000 grains/cm3). All samples are from 10 to 90 cm soil depth, and the sites range from 10 m to 420 m elevation. Although evidence for human activities is clear, the primary difference among these samples is attributed to the sites' environmental setting. The pollen spectra of the low-elevation (10 m) samples are dominated by Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthus pollen, intermediate-elevation (15 - 25 m) samples are dominated by sunflower (Other Compositae) and buckwheat (Eriogonum) pollen, and high-elevation (260 - 420 m) samples are dominated by Liguliflorae and Other Compositae pollen. Low percentages of pine (Pinus), oak (Quercus), ragweed (Ambrosia), Grass (Gramineae), and sagebrush/wormwood (Artemisia) also are present. Evidence for human activity includes high percentages of fungal spores (5 - 149%) and charcoal (37 - 1136%), and the presence of 10.6 % sea-purslane (Sesuvium) - a weed, but the degree of human disturbance of the native vegetation appears to be less than for mainland sites.
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