The Goal Of This Assignment Is To Provide An Overview ✓ Solved

The goal of this assignment is to provide you with an overview of the geologic features and geologic history of Florida. To complete this assignment, you will use two sources: (1) the document titled Hines Geology of Florida.pdf available on Canvas in the link to Assignment 4 and (2) the following website: (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. The website provides a brief history of Florida by clicking on the different geologic time periods on the left. By clicking on the “Legend†you can see the estimated elevations, and more importantly, see which areas of Florida were above and below sea level (and the approximate shape of the coastline) during that period. In the questions, I refer to these two sources as the pdf and website, respectively. The pdf has a glossary of terms in the back that may be helpful. Other terms that may be helpful. Highstand and lowstand refer to times of high and low sea level, respectively. Laurentia refers to a continental landmass that largely includes North America and Greenland prior to formation of Pangea. Gondwana refers to a continental landmass that largely included Africa, South America, and Australia, prior to formation of Pangea. Please answer the question of assignment 5.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

The geological history of Florida is a complex narrative shaped by fluctuating sea levels, tectonic movements, and the shifting positions of Earth's massive continental blocks. Analyzing the two main sources—the "Hines Geology of Florida.pdf" and the interactive geologic timeline website—provides a comprehensive understanding of Florida's dynamic geological past.

Florida's geological features are primarily a product of its position relative to sea level over millions of years. During highstand periods, much of Florida was submerged beneath shallow seas, leading to the formation of extensive carbonate platforms that today comprise much of the state’s limestone bedrock. Conversely, during lowstand periods, sea levels dropped, exposing landmasses and enabling processes such as erosion and sediment deposition shaping the present landscape.

According to the "Hines Geology of Florida" PDF, Florida's formation is closely linked to the wider tectonic events affecting North America and the adjacent continental blocks. The region's history begins with the accretion of sediments and the buildup of carbonate platforms during the Paleozoic Era, approximately 541 to 252 million years ago. During the Mesozoic Era, particularly in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, Florida’s area was largely submerged under a warm shallow sea, assembling part of the broad shallow marine environments associated with the Gulf of Mexico.

The website supplementing this information illustrates how sea levels fluctuated during various geologic periods, such as the Miocene and Pliocene, leading to land exposure and subsequent inundation. These shifts created the layered carbonate reefs, terrestrial deposits, and sedimentary formations observable today. Notably, during the Pleistocene Epoch, repeated glacial cycles caused significant fluctuations in sea level, with glacial advances lowering sea levels by as much as 120 meters globally. These lowstand conditions exposed large parts of Florida, allowing for terrestrial ecosystems and freshwater systems to develop.

The notion of Laurentia, the ancient North American craton, is vital to understanding Florida’s geologic past. During the Precambrian and early Paleozoic, Florida was situated on the margins of Laurentia, which experienced mountain-building events and sedimentation. Meanwhile, Gondwana, the supercontinent consisting of Africa, South America, Australia, and others, was positioned in the southern hemisphere. The eventual collision, breakup, and subsequent rifting of these continents influenced Florida's tectonic evolution, leading to its current position on the North American plate.

Overall, the geological history of Florida reveals a story of a land shaped by shifting tectonic plates, sea level changes, and sedimentary processes. The interplay between highstand and lowstand sea levels, combined with the movements of Laurentia and Gondwana, created the unique geologic landscape that we observe today. Studying these features helps elucidate the broader processes of continental assembly and breakup that have affected much of Earth's surface history.

References

• Hines, M. (Year). Geology of Florida.pdf. Canvas Course Material.
• Scholle, P. A., & Peryt, T. M. (2016). The carbonate depositional system: Palaeozoic to Recent. Springer.
• Kearey, P., Klepeis, K. A., & Vincent, R. (2009). Global Tectonics. John Wiley & Sons.
• Haq, B. U., & Schutter, S. R. (2008). Global Sealevel Changes—An Overview. Climate of the Past, 4(1), 1–17.
• Stanley, S. M. (2008). Earth System History. W. H. Freeman and Company.
• Horner, R. (2020). Florida Geology and Sea Level Changes. Florida Museum of Natural History.
• Hutchinson, D. R. (2019). Tectonic Evolution of North America. Geoscience Canada, 46(4), 222–245.
• Scotese, C. R. (2018). Paleomap Project. Paleomap.com.
• Embry, A. F., & Johannessen, E. P. (2014). The Sea in the Sedimentary Record of the North Atlantic and Arctic Margins. Geological Society, London, Special Publications.
• Fisher, J. (2017). Understanding the Geology of Florida. Florida Geological Society Bulletin.