Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology

The discovery of a Late Archaic burial at the Thursday Site in west-central Utah has contributed new information about the health, genetic haplotype, and environmental conditions for this temporal period. The microbotanical, geomorphological, and osteological data from the burial strongly suggest that an environment rich in lacustrine/freshwater resources near the mouth of the Sevier River provided a broad spectrum of subsistence options. The mtDNA analysis performed on well-preserved bone has established the presence of the Group B Amerindian genetic haplotype. This genetic information is particularly significant since it represents the first mtDNA analysis from the Archaic period in west-central Utah, predating other temporal periods and cultures in the Great Basin for which similar studies have been performed.