Key Largo Limestone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Key Largo Limestone |
|
|---|---|
| Type | Formation |
| Location | |
| Region |  Florida |
| Country |  United States |
The Key Largo Limestone is a special type of rock found in Florida. It is a geologic formation, which means it's a distinct layer of rock that geologists study. This limestone is actually an ancient fossilized coral reef! Imagine a coral reef that lived long, long ago, then turned into solid rock over millions of years. That's what the Key Largo Limestone is.
Contents
What is Key Largo Limestone?
The Key Largo Limestone is made mostly of calcium carbonate. This is the same material that corals and shells are made of. Over time, layers of coral, shells, and other sea creatures piled up. They were then cemented together by natural processes. This created the hard rock we see today.
A Fossilized Reef
This rock formation is famous because it's a preserved coral reef. Coral reefs are underwater cities built by tiny animals called polyps. When these polyps die, their hard skeletons remain. Over vast amounts of time, these skeletons can turn into rock. The Key Largo Limestone shows us what ancient reefs looked like.
Where Can You Find It?
You can see the Key Largo Limestone in the Florida Keys. It's visible along the upper and middle parts of these islands. This includes areas from Soldier Key in the north to the Bahia Honda Channel near Bahia Honda Key. The islands themselves form a long, curved line. This line follows the edge of the Straits of Florida and the modern Florida Reef.
Underwater Extent
The Key Largo Limestone doesn't just stop at the islands. It also stretches underwater! It forms a narrow band just off the coast of Florida. This band goes north from Soldier Key up to the middle of Palm Beach County. It also extends southward from the lower Florida Keys all the way to the Dry Tortugas. This shows how vast this ancient reef system once was.
What Fossils Can You See?
Because the Key Largo Limestone is an old coral reef, it's full of amazing fossils. You can find many different types of ancient sea life preserved within the rock.
Types of Fossils
- Corals: You can often see the shapes of ancient coral heads. These are the main builders of the reef.
- Mollusks: These are creatures like clams, snails, and conchs. Their shells are often found in the limestone.
- Bryozoans: These are tiny, colonial animals that look a bit like moss or small fans. They also contributed to the reef structure.
Seeing these fossils helps scientists understand what the ocean was like millions of years ago. It also shows how the Florida Keys were formed from these ancient marine environments.
