|
The Miami
Limestone (formerly the Miami Oolite) is a Pleistocene
marine limestone. It occurs at or near the surface in
southeastern peninsular Florida from Palm Beach County to Dade
and Monroe Counties and in the keys from Big Pine Key to the
Marquesas Keys. The Miami Limestone consists of two facies: an
oolitic facies and a bryozoan facies. The oolitic facies
consists of white to orangish gray, oolitic limestone with
scattered concentrations of fossils. Ooliths are small rounded
grains so named because they look like fish eggs. Ooliths are
formed by the deposition of layers of calcite around tiny
particles, such as sand grains or shell fragments. The bryozoan
facies consists of white to orangish gray, sandy, fossiliferous
limestone. Beds of quartz sand and limey sandstones may also be
present. Fossils present include mollusks, bryozoans, and
corals. An excellent exposure is observable at Alice Wainright
Park, in Coral Gables, Dade County.
|