State Parks showcase Florida's unique geological features

State Parks showcase Florida's unique geological features

Dunes, sinkholes, caves... Oh my! 

TALLAHASSEE – As Earth Science Week comes to a close, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is encouraging residents and visitors to take advantage of the year-round opportunities to learn about the geosciences by getting away from the television, turning off the computer and heading to a state park with families or friends.

"Many Florida State Parks were added to the state park system based on their geological values, including the sand dunes at Grayton Beach, the springs of Wakulla, Troy and Ichetucknee, the coastal features of St. Joseph and Little Talbot, and the sinkholes found within Falling Waters and Goldhead Branch state parks," said Florida State Park Director Mike Bullock.

Big Shoals State Park in White Springs

Just a few of the other Florida state parks with significant geological features include:

• Big Shoals State Park in White Springs features the largest whitewater rapids in Florida. Limestone bluffs, towering 80 feet above the banks of the Suwannee River, afford outstanding vistas not found anywhere else in Florida.
   
• Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park in Gainesville. In the midst of north Florida's sandy terrain and pine forests, a bowl-shaped cavity 120 feet deep leads down to a miniature rain forest. Small streams trickle down the steep slopes of the limestone sinkhole, disappearing through crevices in the ground and lush vegetation thrives in the shade of the walls even in dry summers. A significant geological formation, Devil's Millhopper is a National Natural Landmark that has been visited by the curious since the early 1880s.
   
• Florida Caverns State Park in Marianna is one of the few state parks with dry, air filled caves and is the only Florida state park to offer cave tours to the public. The cave has

  Florida Caverns State Park in Marianna

  dazzling formations of limestone stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, flowstones and draperies.
   
• Washington Oaks Gardens State Park in Palm Coast. Although the formal gardens are the centerpiece of this park, Washington Oaks is also famous for the unique shoreline of coquina rock formations that line its Atlantic beach.

"The opportunities to learn about the Earth, its processes, its materials, its history, and its effect on humans and life are vast in this state," said Dr. Jonathan Arthur, Ph.D., Acting Director of DEP’s

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park in Palm Coast.

Florida Geological Survey. "We are fortunate we have to go no further than our own back yards  to experience Florida’s geological wonders."

In a private endeavor, two members of DEP’s Florida Geological Survey (FGS); Dr. Thomas M. Scott, Ph.D., who has been the Assistant State Geologist of Florida since 1985 and Guy H. ("Harley") Means who has been with FGS for over ten years; partnered with Jonathan R. Bryan, a professor of geology and oceanography at Okaloosa-Walton College, to write a book entitled Roadside Geology of Florida. This book is a user-friendly guide that walks the novice through Florida’s unique geological composition.

One of the best and safest ways to see more geologic exposures is to join one of the regular trips led by various geological and paleontological organizations in the state or to tag along with a more experienced field geologist or fossil collector. The book contains information on contacting such organizations.

Florida Governor Charlie Crist and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are joined states across the nation to recognize October 13-17 as Earth Science Week. Organized by the American Geological Institute, Earth Science Week promotes public awareness of the earth sciences and stewardship of the Earth.

To learn more about Florida’s unique geological attributes, visit www.floridadep.org/geology.  For more information on geological sites at state parks, visit www.floridastateparks.org.