The Pinnacles (Gulf of Mexico) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Pinnacles |
|
|---|---|
 Location in Florida
Location in Caribbean
|
|
| Location | |
| Location | Gulf of Mexico |
| Coordinates | 29°23′N 87°57′W / 29.38°N 87.95°W |
| Country | United States |
| Geology | |
| Type | platform reef |
The Pinnacles is a rocky area found on the edge of the land under the sea, called the continental shelf. It is located in the Gulf of Mexico, about 70 miles off the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama. This special spot is about 300 feet deep and is home to a type of platform reef.
Amazing Ocean Life at The Pinnacles
The reefs at The Pinnacles are full of amazing sea creatures. You can find many kinds of corals here, including hard corals, soft corals, and even black corals. There are also sea lilies and sponges that stay fixed in one place.
This reef creates a perfect home for many different types of fish. For example, Snappers and groupers come here to lay their eggs. You can also see fish usually found in Caribbean reefs and others from the Carolinian shelf. Some fish that live near the surface, called epipelagic fish, and a few deep-sea fish also live around the reef.
Scientists believe these reefs formed a long time ago, during the last ice age. At that time, sea levels were much lower. Today, The Pinnacles reefs are too deep for new reef-building corals to grow.
Protecting The Pinnacles Reefs
The reefs at The Pinnacles have faced some challenges. In 2010, there was a big oil spill called the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A study in 2015 by Florida State University and NOAA looked at how the oil spill affected the corals here.
The study found that corals were sick and dying because of the oil. This oil had been mixed with special chemicals called dispersants to break it up. However, these chemicals caused the oil to sink and settle on the reefs. Also, a tropical storm in 2010 stirred up the sea, making the oil reach the corals.
In 2005, a report from the National Academy of Sciences showed that oil mixed with dispersants could harm how some corals reproduce. It also caused their young, called larvae, to be deformed. The report suggested that the government needed to study these chemicals more before using large amounts of them.
The Pinnacles is one of several important coral areas in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2008, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tried to make these areas a special protected place called Islands in the Stream. This plan would have limited fishing and oil drilling around these reef "islands." However, the plan was stopped because some lawmakers, fishermen, and the oil industry did not agree with it.
