Map Unit Properties Table

Map Unit Erosion Suitability for Cultural Mineral Mineral Global Age Unit Description Hazards Paleontologic Resources Habitat Recreation (Symbol) Resistance Development Resources Specimens Resources Significance

See below surficial unit Hardbottom areas Mapping based on aerial photography, land Benthic Habitat: Land (l); Boat landings and See below surficial unit descriptions, Units support are enigmatic in indicates subaerial units (described below); Development of None None Diving and Reef/Hardbottom, seagrass Variable groundings possible descriptions, modern fauna shipwrecks, seagrass patches Florida Bay, rh indicates units mostly devoid of deep Bay is not advised documented documented boating (rh) for these units and shells and flooded and reefs subject of sediments or subaqueous vegetation artifacts and restoration efforts HOLOCENE sites

Benthic Habitat: Submersedaquatic vegetation SAV, Submersed rooted vascular plants SRV Units support (srv); Continuous SRV fisheries, cycle (srvc); Continuous SRV, Subject of massive nutrients and bank (srvcb); Continuous Mapping of units based on aerial restoration efforts stabilize SRV, dense patches of SRV photography and ecological interpretation. Dredged areas have due to loss of Development of Florida None None None sediments, Diving and in matrix of continuous Units vary based on degree of aquatic NA reduced visibility, None documented seagrass beds, Bay is not advised documented documented documented mangrove, coral boating sparse SRV (srvcp); vegetation cover, rootedness of plants, and boat groundings phytoplankton reef, and Continuous SRV, dense anthropogenic alterations blooms and HOLOCENE continental shelf patches of SRV in matrix of elevated turbidity ecological continuous sparse SRV communities (srvcpb); Discontinuous SRV (srvd); Discontinuous SRV, bank (srvdb); Discontinuous SRV, dredged (srvdd)

Benthic Habitat: Unknown Subject of massive benthic habitat (ubh); restoration efforts Unknown benthic habitat, Sediments Underwater Dredged areas have due to loss of dredged (ubhd); Unknown Areas uninterpretable beyond rudimentary Development of Florida may contain None None Benthic habitat, Diving and currents may reduced visibility, None documented seagrass beds, benthic habitat, streams observation Bay is not advised artifacts and documented documented undelineated boating easily remove boat groundings phytoplankton (ubhs); Unknown benthic shipwrecks blooms and HOLOCENE habitat, submersed tidal elevated turbidity canals (ubhstc)

Units support Benthic Habitat: Mapping of units based on aerial seagrass patches, Subject of massive Unconsolidated sediments, photography and ecological interpretation. mangrove, coral restoration efforts mud (usm); Mud, bank Sediments Units vary based on sediment composition Underwater reef areas, due to loss of (usmb); Unconsolidated Development of Florida Elevated turbidity Modern fauna and carbonate may contain None Diving and and degree of seagrass cover. All units are currents may Mud, clay unconsolidated seagrass beds, sediments, mixed fine, bank Bay is not advised boat groundings shells artifacts and documented boating unconsolidated with thick muds and easily remove substrate phytoplankton (usmfb); Unconsolidated shipwrecks interlayered coarser sediments. Seagrass supports blooms and HOLOCENE sediments, mixed fine, areas present in patches. burrowing elevated turbidity seagrass (usmfs) species

Land use evolution Fine for most Surficial: Thin soil over Sm is approximately 30 cm thick over Fine for most Unit is slippery studies, may Supports recreation Miami (sm); Thin irregular bedrock surface, mixed sediment. development, used for None Soil development Very low when water None documented contain Soil grasslands and unless soil over Key Largo Sk is generally 15 to 30 cm deep with agriculture, susceptible to documented studies saturated Native agriculture supporting Limestone (sk) variations per bedrock expression. contamination American fragile habitats HOLOCENE artifacts

EVER Geologic Resource Evaluation Report 22 Map Unit Erosion Suitability for Cultural Mineral Mineral Global Age Unit Description Hazards Paleontologic Resources Habitat Recreation (Symbol) Resistance Development Resources Specimens Resources Significance

Fine for most Freshwater carbonate marl varies in uses unless thickness (less than 30 cm to more than 1 m) May contain Fine for most irregular grading laterally into mucks and marine Native Supports Surficial: peat with marl development, structures If present as a crust, surfaces are Unusual carbonate muds and marls. Marl is generally Plant debris, freshwater American Freshwater freshwater (pm); Marl (ma); Marl Low are delicate, may be unit may be a hazard Peat present or if freshwater marls buff colored to tan and fossiliferous. Some mollusks settlement marl mollusks and underlain by peat (mp) unstable for buildings for walking visitors water coat plants sand, silt, and clay are present locally in remains and algae and roads. saturated, HOLOCENE lenses. Mp is underlain by organic rich peat artifacts attractive to sediments at depths exceeding 30-60 cm. ORV use

Muck commonly Muck contains varying percentages of Fine for most Muck is Unit is slippery and supports organic matter, carbonate mud and marl, development, unsuitable for Surficial: Muck (mu); if deep enough, may mangroves. Carbonate mud and other non-organic components sedimentary structures None None most Carbonate mud (cm); Very low prove hazardous to Freshwater mollusks None Carbonate mud bank development including siliciclastics. Carbonate muds are delicate, may be documented documented recreational Disturbed (d) walk through when supports and habitat form islands and embankments, unit may unstable for buildings use, attracts water saturated mangroves and HOLOCENE exceed 2.5 – 3 m in thickness and roads. ORV use buttonwoods

May contain Native Fine for most Fine for most If water saturated, Supports Sediments include quartz sands, carbonate American uses unless Records Holocene development, unit is hazardous for modern land sands and muds, and organic material. Unit Freshwater mollusks, plant settlement None thick muds are landscape Holocene sediments (Oh) Very low unconsolidated nature of visitor use due to Sand, silt, clays plants, grass is generally less than 1.5 m thick near and root debris remains and documented present, unit is development of unit may prove unstable slippery surfaces prairies and coastlines. artifacts, land unstable if south Florida for roads and buildings. and deep muds forests HOLOCENE use evolution water saturated studies

Varied deposits of siliciclastics, organics, and freshwater carbonates that are light May contain gray, tan, brown to black in color, clean to High permeability of unit Clay rich units are Native Fine for most Beach ridge and dune (Qbd); clay-rich, some silty lenses, with occasional is unsuitable for waste slippery when water Very low to plant debris, roots, peat beds, American None Supports pine recreational Records /Holocene, gravel in organic-bearing sands. Clay rich treatment facilities, saturated, dune Sand low freshwater mollusks settlement documented forests use, good trail paleoshorelines undifferentiated (Qu) layers are blue green to olive green with unstable for roads and sands are unstable remains and base some sandy and silty lenses. Occur in buildings. for visitor use HOLOCENE artifacts floodplain areas (Qal – alluvium), terraces, PLEISTOCENE – and ridges and dunes of sand grains.

Qm consists of two , an oolitic facies Unit is highly porous and Sinkhole and Often forms (white to orangish gray, poorly to permeable and forms solution hole Solution holes irregular Oolite and Scattered fossils including a moderately indurated, sandy, oolitic much of Biscayne aquifer collapse probable Oolite, support tree surfaces with bryozoan facies Low to bryozoan zone, mollusks, None Sand, Miami Limestone (Qm) limestone) and a bryozoan facies (white to system, susceptible to for this unit, high bryozoan islands and karst solution holes, record shoreline to moderate and . Casts and molds documented limestone orangish gray, poorly to well indurated, karst processes, permeability passes layers aquifer resistant avoid for most lagoonal paleo- are common sandy, limestone). Some quartz sand beds unsuitable for waste contaminants copepods visitor use environments

PLEISTOCENE present. treatment facilities. quickly facilities

Sinkhole and Unit is a fossil coral reef containing large Unit is highly porous and solution hole Solution holes If highly coral heads with white to light gray, permeable and forms part May have collapse probable Limestone with support tree dissolved, Records paleo moderately to well indurated, fossiliferous, of Biscayne aquifer provided Fossil coral Key Largo Limestone (Qk) Moderate for this unit, high Corals, mollusks, bryozoans calcarenites islands and karst solution holes coral reef coralline limestone composed of coral heads system, may be material for heads permeability passes matrix aquifer resistant may present environments encased in a calcarenitic matrix. Rare susceptible to karst early trade contaminants copepods visitor hazard siliciclastic rich beds present. processes.

PLEISTOCENE quickly

Interlayered orangish brown sands and Heterogeneity of coquinoid . Most layers are Unit forms part of the unit renders it Records unindurated to moderately indurated. The surficial aquifer system. May have unstable under loads environmental – coquina layers contain whole and Low to Coquina layers and provided Coquina, Coquinoid None Fine for most (Qa) and if undercut, Abundant mollusk shells climatic shifts fragmented mollusk shells in a sandy matrix moderate inherent heterogeneous material for sparry limestone documented visitor use high permeability during the with sparse sparry calcite cements. Sand rich layering may render unit early trade passes contaminants Pleistocene layers are light gray to tan and orangish unstable for foundations.

PLEISTOCENE quickly brown. Fossils vary from bed to bed.

EVER Geologic Resource Evaluation Report 23 Map Unit Erosion Suitability for Cultural Mineral Mineral Global Age Unit Description Hazards Paleontologic Resources Habitat Recreation (Symbol) Resistance Development Resources Specimens Resources Significance

Mollusk-bearing sediments includes the Callosahatchee, Bermont (informal), and Fort Thompson Formations all characterized by fossiliferous sands and Units form part of the Heterogeneity of carbonates. Units are complex varying from surficial aquifer system, unit renders it Fine for most unconsolidated, variably calcareous and partially unconsolidated unstable under loads recreation Records Tertiary – fossiliferous quartz sand layers to well layers and heterogeneous and if undercut, unless Shell-bearing sediments Biostratigraphic layer with Quaternary indurated, sandy and fossiliferous nature of unit may render carbonate layers are Supports dissolved (TQsu); Dunes (TQd); Low to incredible fossil array; unit is None Sand, clay, transition in limestones. Marine and freshwater it unstable for building susceptible to Fossil shells modern land carbonate Reworked Cypresshead moderate paleontologically not well documented scant gravel Florida including carbonates present. Interbedded with the foundations, high dissolution and plants layers are Formation (TQuc) defined some arid climatic

TERTIARY sand and shell layers are clayey sands and permeability may prove karst processes, high present, sand periods sandy clays. Dune sediments are fine to unsuitable for waste permeability passes layers make (QUATERNARY) medium quartz sand with some organic treatment facility contaminants good trail base matter (dunes at elevations greater than 30 development. quickly m). TQuc is siliciclastics with fine to coarse quartz sands and some scattered gravel lenses with clay matrices.

Unit is composed of shallow marine, near Unconsolidated shore siliciclastic deposits. Unit is reddish Permeable sands form layers are brown to reddish orange fine to very coarse part of the surficial susceptible to Records Preserved molds and casts of Fine for most sands with varying clay content. Some aquifer system. sliding if undercut, None Quartzite None near shore to Cypresshead Formation (Tc) Low mollusks, burrow structures, Micas recreational crossbeds are present locally along with Unconsolidated units unstable, high documented pebbles, sand documented deltaic trace marine fossils use quartzite pebble and mica lenses. Unit is may prove unstable for permeability passes environments TERTIARY

(PLIOCENE) primarily unconsolidated to poorly development. contaminants consolidated quickly

Unit is characterized by mixed carbonate Varying highly permeable and siliciclastic layers with several members Carbonate rich to impermeable layers including an oyster facies, a sand facies, layers are Molds, casts, with barnacle, form a complex aquifer several marl and limestone layers, and a susceptible to mollusk, coral, echinoid, Phosphate is If highly system with some May have Records Pliocene reefal member. Unit includes light gray to sinkhole and foraminifera, and calcareous common in this Supports cypress dissolved, Low to exposures as part of the provided lagoonal and reefal Tamiami Formation (Tt) tan, fossiliferous sands, greenish sandy clay, solution hole nannoplankton, pelecypod, fossils unit present as forests – wetland solution holes moderate surficial aquifer system material for paleo- calcareous gray sand, sandy fossiliferous collapse, gastropod, serpulid, sand to gravel plants may present and lower beds forming early trade environments

TERTIARY limestone, and white to light gray, well contaminants pass barnacle, and ostracode sized grains visitor hazard

(PLIOCENE) part of the intermediate indurated fossiliferous sandy limestone. quickly through fossils present confining unit-aquifer Some packstone and pelecypod sand dissolution voids system. members present locally.

Thp is composed of several facies of Phosphatic layers Mollusks, casts, molds, interbedded sands, clays, diatom layers, and may contain corals and wood with some carbonates with clayey matrices, variable radioactive minerals, vertebrate fossils, sharks dolomite. Sands are light gray to olive gray heterogeneity of teeth, coccoliths including Represents and phosphatic. Interbedded clays are units renders them Coccolithus pelagicus, Pliocene – Hawthorn Group: Peace yellowish gray with sand and silt lenses. Units form part of the Not present at Low to unstable under loads Calcidiscus macintyrei, Chert may Miocene transition River Formation (Thp); Bone Thbp contains abundant phosphate in intermediate aquifer Opaline chert, Phosphate surface in moderate; and if undercut, Recticulofenestra have None with periodic arid Valley Member of the Peace interlayered sands, silts, clays, and system. Unconsolidated opalized viable for moderate carbonate layers are pseudoumbilica, Ceratolithus provided tool documented conditions River Formation (Thpb); phosphorites. Tha is mostly carbonate with interbeds may render unit claystones area, outcrops (Tha) susceptible to armatus, Discoaster material alternating with

TERTIARY Arcadia Formation (Tha) some siliciclastics (sands, silts, and clays) unstable. north of park dissolution and pentaradiatus, Discoaster shallow marine locally as thin beds representing 4 distinct karst processes, high surculus, diatoms, environments cycles. In outcrop, unit is yellowish gray to permeability passes pelecypods, gastropods, light olive gray-brown with variable clay,

(OLIGOCENE – MIOCENE) contaminants echinoids, foraminifera, red sand, phosphate, and limestone contents. quickly algae Some dolostones are present locally.

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