kids encyclopedia robot

Pickles Reef facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Pickles Reef
Pickles Reef is located in Florida
Pickles Reef
Location in Florida
Pickles Reef is located in Caribbean
Pickles Reef
Location in Caribbean
Location
Location Caribbean
Coordinates 24°59′15″N 80°24′52″W / 24.98750°N 80.41444°W / 24.98750; -80.41444
Country United States
Geology
Type reef

Pickles Reef is a special coral reef found in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It's located southeast of Key Largo, which is a famous part of the Florida Keys. This reef is also south of the Key Largo Existing Management Area and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.

Unlike some other reefs in the Sanctuary, Pickles Reef is not a "Sanctuary Preservation Area" (SPA). SPAs are places with extra rules to protect the coral and marine life.

The reef got its interesting name from a shipwreck called the "Pickle Barrel wreck."

Another smaller reef, called Snapper Ledge, is located very close by.

The Mystery of the Pickles Reef Shipwreck

If you explore Pickles Reef, you'll find different kinds of old items scattered around. Among these are several concrete objects shaped like barrels. For a long time, people believed these concrete barrels came from a ship or barge that sank during the American Civil War.

However, scientists looked closely at the concrete in 2008. They found out it was a type of Portland cement made between 1890 and 1923. This means the shipwreck happened much later than the Civil War.

Archaeologists have also found clues about the ship itself. It seems to have been made of iron or steel and had two masts. But even with these clues, no one has yet figured out the exact name of the ship. It's also a bit of a mystery how much of the scattered debris actually came from this one wreck.

Gallery

  • Lactophrys Pickles Reef

    A Spotted trunkfish (Lactophrys sp.) swimming at Pickles Reef in March 2008.

  • Stoplight parrotfish Pickles Reef

    A colorful stoplight parrotfish (Sparisoma viride) seen at Pickles Reef in March 2008.

  • Large Bleached Brain Coral on Pickles Reef, Key Largo (15459237241)

    A large brain coral that has become bleached.

  • Spotted Moray Eel on Pickles Reef, Key Largo (15459247661)

    A Spotted moray eel peeking out from the reef.

  • School of Gruntfish and Sergeant Majors on Pickles Reef, Key Largo (15275816787)

    A school of grunts and sergeant majors swimming together.

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Pickles Reef Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.