Abstract Geological studies of flood plains are a major concern in archaeological research (Larsen, 1982; Anderson and Schuldenrein, 1985; Brakenridge, 1984; Ferring, 1986; Waters, 1988). An interest in the process of flood-plain development has been stimulated by the abundance of stratified sites in such settings and by the utility of cultural-geologic successions that link past human and environmental events. The genesis of flood-plain deposits that preserve archaeological evidence is complicated by both human occupation and natural alluvial events and processes. Deposits with archaeological associations may obscure natural flood-plain stratification, while alluvial events can re-sort artifacts and alter spatial distributions of prehistoric activities. Soil formation and flood-plain erosion may change or destroy portions of the archaeological record even more. Still, a comprehensive appreciation of site-formation processes that includes familiarity with flood processes, soil formation processes, the nature of riverine occupations, and the range of disturbances affecting deposits can result in a reasonable reconstruction of the occupational landscapes. In the temperate Holocene environments of the southeastern U.S. Piedmont, the primary rivers served as settlement pathways for prehistoric peoples up through the period of European contact. Based on evidence from throughout the region, adaptive strategies changed through time, even though the affinity for riverine settlement persisted (Coe, 1964; Claggett and Cable, 1982; Ward 1983). Many of the key drainages preserve discontinuous records of occupation for much of the Holocene. As a result, the cultural sequences preserved in the alluvium of the main drainageways provide excellent opportunities for integrating the Holocene landscape and occupational histories