Map Unit Properties Table
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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 Florida 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 coral 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 Limestone (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 Pleistocene/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 facies, 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 corals. 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 limestones. 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