The springs along the Suwannee and Santa Fe Rivers follow an ancient shoreline called the Cody Escarpment; a delineation of eroded soils, exposing the aquifer as many blue dots on the map.
This escarpment was formed by the erosion of the land by the sea during the ‘Cenozoic Era, when Florida was submerged under a warm, shallow, ocean.’ When the shallow ocean withdrew, it carried away the soil leaving behind the compressed fossils we call limestone. The springs pop-out from this eroded line of the Cody Escarpment. There’s more information at the Suwannee River Water Management page.
Behind the ancient water line, the river is said to be ‘confined,’ with distinct shorelines. During floods, the river expands up. These soils called the Hawthorn group eroded into Florida from the Appalachian Mountains, and consist of quarz, clay, uranium and phosphate.
On the ocean side, the river is said to be unconfined. When it floods, the river expands out. The fissures and sinkholes easily expose the aquifer below. By learning more about our natural world, we can become better stewards. Knowing how vulnerable our aquifer is in the unconfined areas where we live, we can be more mindful of our aquifer.
OSFR President Joanne Tremblay
joanne.tremblay@oursantaferiver.org
“Giving Our River A Voice”
