“…Mike Carson illustrates a paleo‐terrain approach that coordinates computer‐aided terrain modeling with site‐specific geoarchaeological test excavations, building on a multiyear research program developed specifically for this purpose (Carson, , ). He applies this approach for defining the ancient habitat context during the period of first settlement in the remote oceanic region, specifically on scattered shores of the isolated Mariana Islands that took place by 1500 B.C.…”