This thesis analyzes Donax variabilis from the Burns Site (900 to 1600 CE), located on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station along the Atlantic Coast of Central Florida. Samples were taken along growth lines of 12 Donax variabilis shells from multiple levels of the site. Results show high δ18O values, particularly in the terminal edge of shell growth, indicating cooler conditions at time of harvest. Estimation of temperature from δ18O values provides additional evidence that the D. variabilis sampled in this study were harvested during the autumn or winter. This indicates season of site occupation during these seasons, though occupation during other seasons cannot be ruled out. Sites in northern Florida display similar season of harvest for D. variabilis, potentially indicating that this is a seasonally exploited resource. Additionally, comparing modern sea surface temperatures with those during site occupation shows the time period during which the Burns site was occupied had a similar average temperature with that of modern day, but cooler minimum and maximum temperatures.

The Burns Site, located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, is an ancient burial mound that presents a unique archaeological puzzle characterized by its distinctive mortuary practice known as 'radial burials.' This paper explores the origins and significance of radial burials within the broader framework of indigenous mortuary practices in Florida, from the Late Archaic through the Malabar II period (750 – 1565 AD). The research investigates and cross-references previous studies on ancient burial mounds in the Southeastern United States using quantitative and qualitative analysis. The study aims to gain insights into the cultural, social, and historical contexts that shaped the Burns Site by comprehensively examining burial patterns across Florida and the Southeastern United States, including Louisiana, Georgia, and North and South Carolina. The study highlights a correlation between the burial pattern and the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, evident through physical evidence such as copious amounts of lightning whelk and other symbolism found at the radial burial sites. The research aims to prove that the radial pattern did not emulate the spoke of a wheel but the culturally significant lightning whelk shell and its fundamental counterclockwise spiral shape. Analysis based on the Attributes Table concluded that the radial burial practice is a uniquely Florida Indigenous burial practice found in mounds made from coastal elements between 500 AD - 1565 AD. The findings revealed frequent similarities between artifact assemblages in radial mound sites and Southeastern Ceremonial Complex Sites.