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F1 i • 14PS Farm 10-900-0 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register ofHistoric Places Continuation Sheet Section number —L Page 3 - OMBRppmalW 1024-0719 South Hole Midden events. The marginal areas contained shell, but less black organic midden stain. Dickel (1992) also notes that boundary determination along the estuary edge to the northwest can be problematic, where the midden shell grades into natural shell deposits. Richards (1990) reported the depth of midden deposits to the east of US AIA ranging from 75 cm. to 1 meter, which may reflect the non-marginal midden deposits to the west as well. APPEARANCE OF THE SITE DURING THE PREHISTORIC OCCUPATION Judging the appearance of the South bole Midden site during prehistoric occupation is a daunting task. The shoreline of Orchid Island is subject to dynamic geomorphic changes. On the one hand. in addition to the normal erosive action of wind, wave, and current, and the catastrophic action of many storm events, the sea level along the Atlantic coast has been rising at a rate of approximately I cm. per 25 years for the last 3000 years, or about 1 meter if we accept a basal date of 500 B.C. In addition, at various times inlets to the north of South Hole have naturally formed and sealed in several locations, alternatively allowing and denying the outfall of Indian River water, fed by terrestrial runoff, into the Atlantic Ocean. On the other hand, current water management canals and impermeable urban ground surfaces effectively shuttle terrestrial water into the Indian River, the onslaught being somewhat offset by the inlets, or outfalls, that have been fixed in place during the twentieth century. When the inlet has been closed in the past it has linked the area of Orchid 'Island to the long narrow peninsula extending down from Cape Canaveral and would have allowed the easy migration of terrestrial animal species to populate the island. Terrestrial animal species inhabiting the island at various times include a variety of birds, reptiles, w mphibians, and mammals that could have been exploited for food by prehistoric and historic human pupu:auuats, Addii unally, about 2555 spxiub oli'fish and u number of crustaceans, mollusks, marine mammals, and marine turtles exist off the Atlantic shore of the island and about 400 species of fish, 200 mollusks, and many other animals exist in the Indian River lagoon (Jones 1990:10-11). The site, nonetheless, very likely was a prominence, though relatively diminutive, as it lay protected in the lee of the primary dune. it is also likely that the natural inlet at one time flowed nearby to the north in the vicinity of News Cut. Similar middens adjacent to natural inlets also occur at Gilbert's Bar in Martin County and at .Jupiter Inlet in Rilm Peach County, half: lo-crted to the south along the Indian Rivct. Wiwi: coastal hastttnock would have been predominant on the higher elevations of the site. As elevation decreased, vegetation would trend into the various species of spranna, junc'us, distichlis, and other salt tolerant ,grasses of the high marsh and, finally, into the mangrove fringc of the Indian River estuary (Myers and Cwef 1990).