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Identifying and Describing Landforms of Florida ANSWER KEY
Landform
Dunes
Delta Deposits
Limestone Cliffs
Description/How Formed
Location in Florida
The barrier islands were created
as rivers eroded and
transported sediment from the
Appalachian Mountains. This
sediment continued to move
westward to create the barrier
islands and the waves and
strong winds blow the sand
(sediment) into dunes which are
constantly changing. The root
and stem systems of native
plants help to hold the sand
dunes in place and reduce the
effects of coastal erosion.
St. Joseph Peninsula State
Park and Gulf Islands
National Seashore is
located in the western most
section of Florida’s
panhandle.
Deltas are fan-shaped
deposits of sediment that
form where a river empties
into an ocean, a bay, or any
large body of water.
Sometimes these deltas form
barrier islands as they
deposit sediment over long
periods of time.
St. Vincent Island National
Wildlife Refuge is located
near Apalachicola, offshore
on the Florida panhandle, at
the mouth of the
Apalachicola River
Limestone cliffs made from
limestone deposits (shells,
coral fragments, fossils and
sand) when sea levels were
higher due to lack of glaciers
up north. Now that glaciers
exist, sea levels are lower
and the cliffs are exposed
(out of water) during low
tides and calm weather.
Blowing Rocks Preserve is
located north of Palm Beach
on Florida’s Atlantic coast. It
is owned & managed by the
Nature Conservancy.
Description of Park
These parks contain many
miles of barrier islands
containing sand dunes as
well as marshes and
submerged land.
Two Interesting Facts
1. The dunes of the Gulf
Islands National Seashore
protect almost 240 km of the
Florida and Mississippi coasts
from severe storms.
Visitors to these parks can
enjoy developed and
primitive camping, boating,
kayaking, fishing, snorkeling,
hiking, bicycling, swimming,
bird watching, historic forts
and Ranger programs.
Many depositional
geographic features, such as:
beach ridges made of mainly
sand and elongated lakes
2. The dunes of St. Joseph
Peninsula State Park are
some of the largest in the
state and provide habitats for
a wide variety of birds.
The park has no human
inhabitants and is accessible
only by boat. Visitors can
enjoy fishing, bird watching,
hiking trails and beautiful
beaches
Park contains limestone
layers that are exposed as
subsurface cliffs that create
dramatic waves during high
tides and winter storms
The oldest beach ridge at the
park is on the north side and
is about 3000 years old.
Landform
Description/How Formed
Shallow with a limestone basin. As the sea
level receded over time (6000 yrs) a
freshwater lake remained.
Freshwater Lakes
Created from the spillover of freshwater
from Lake Okeechobee. This spillover
travels down an inclined plane to create a
long, shallow river 80km wide and 160km
long often called a “River of Grass.”
Wetlands
Coral Reefs
Coral reefs form when coral animals
(polyps) remove dissolved calcium from the
sea water and deposit it to build and to
repair already existing reefs. The reefs
have formed over the past 150,000 years
when sea level was higher than today.
Location in
Florida
Lake
Okeechobee is
in south
Central Florida
in the
Kissimmee
Prairie State
Park.
The Florida
Everglades are
located to the
south of Lake
Okeechobee
extending all
the way
through the
center of the
state to the
southernmost
tip.
Biscayne
National Park
in southeastern
FL (north of
Miami Beach)
Dry Tortugas
National Park
located west of
Key West
Description of Park
Two Interesting Facts
Natural wetlands habitat for
diverse number of plants and
animals; primary source of
fresh water to the Everglade
wetlands.
4m at deepest point
surface area = 1900km2
trillion gallons of water
popular tourist attraction
1,500,000 Acres of Wetland
covering the southernmost
tip of Florida. Contains
thousands of species of
plants and animals including
Mangroves, Water Birds (Ibis,
Egrets, Spoonbills, etc.),
Crocodiles, Alligators, etc.
Can be travelled by airboat.
Only place in the world
where crocodiles and
alligators coexist. Only ½ of
original 3,000,000 acres is a
National Park. 1,000,000
acres are used for agriculture
and the other 500,000 is a
system used to prevent
flooding in South Florida.
Biscayne National Park Coastal park made up of 42
islands. 95% of park lies
below sea level & is popular
for snorkeling.
-Dry Tortuga reefs are at risk
due to climate changes
(rising sea levels and
increasing sea-surface
temperatures)
Dry Tortugas –
Islands that host a large
population of sea turtles and
reef creatures. Also the site
of Fort Jefferson, a military
fort built in mid-1800s.
-Reefs are among the most
biologically diverse
ecosystems on Earth.