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<br />• since it is highly probable that at least some of them contain <br />i ~ <br />the carbonized remnants of seeds and other plant materials. <br />Analysis of their contents would consequently provide valuable <br />information concerning the kinds of food resources exploited <br />and seasonal patterns of occupation. C-14 dating o£ the car- <br />bonized plant materials would provide a chronological framework <br />more accurate than could be obtained from the artifact analyses. <br />4.5 SITE PATTERNING AND DIFFERENTIAL SITE DENSITIES <br />Even a cursory examination of site locations reveals <br />several distinct patterns. These patterns and the possible en- <br />vironmental factors relating to them will be discussed with re- <br />spect to the environmental zones defined in Section 4.2. <br />• <br />4.5.1 The Yampa and Williams Fork Rivers <br />The most distinctive pattern observed was the cluster- <br />ing of sites along the major river systems in areas with exten- <br />sive bottomlands and a relative absence of sites elsewhere along <br />the rivers. The largest cluster occurs on the terraces around <br />Big Bottom and includes most of the sites along the Yampa north <br />of the confluence of the Williams Fork, namely SMF437, 438 and <br />440 through 449. Of the 12 sites, 6 contained hearths or prob- <br />able evidence of hearths. At SMF437, two hearths were located <br />on a 30 degree slope on the south side of the terrace on which <br />the site is located and no hearths were observed on the level <br />• portion of the terrace. A similar pat*ern was found at SMF444 <br />. where at Least 5 hearths were identified. The placement of the <br />~ hearths on relatively steep slopes is somewhat unusual if they <br />