Assignment
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.
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.
Questions
1. Which of the following is true regarding the relationship between the deep rocks of Florida and North America (Laurentia) and South America and Africa (together making part of Gondwana)?
(1) Florida originated near what is now New England (northeastern U.S.) and moved to its present position along a transform boundary
(2) Florida was part of North America prior to the Permian period and when North America and Africa & South America rifted away in the Triassic, it rifted in the same place as where two masses were sutured during the Alleghanian orogeny
(3) Florida was added to North America during collision with Australia and left behind when South America and Africa rifted away in the Triassic
(4) Florida was added to North America during the Alleghanian orogeny and left behind when South America and Africa rifted away in the Triassic
(5) Florida originated near what is now Arizona and moved to its present position along a transform boundary
2. Which of the following is true regarding the map outline of the shorelines of Florida?
(1) it has remained constant throughout its geologic history
(2) its shape coincides with the transition from thinned continental crust and oceanic crust
(3) the area of Florida that is above sea level has increased steadily over geologic time
(4) the outline has changed over geologic time due to numerous sea level changes
(5) the area of Florida that is above sea level has decreased steadily over geologic time
3. During which geologic time period was Florida NOT below sea level?
(1) Early Cretaceous
(2) Permian
(3) Late Cretaceous
(4) Paleocene
(5) Eocene
4. What types of rocks were deposited from the Late Jurassic to Oligocene?
(1) carbonates (limestones and dolomites)
(2) mafic volcanic rocks
(3) sandstones and shales deposited in beach settings
(4) conglomerates deposited in river systems
(5) felsic volcanic rocks
5. What two factors contributed to thick deposits of these kinds of rocks from the previous question?
(1) rapid subsidence to create space for the deposits
(2) cool water in middle latitude regions
(3) deep water
(4) extensive volcanic activity to create carbon dioxide needed to make the rocks
(5) shallow water
6. The Gulf trough (website term) or Georgia Channel (pdf term) aided deposition of the rocks in Question 4 by preventing sand and mud (siliciclastics) eroded from the Appalachians from reaching the Florida platform.?
(1) True
(2) False
7. The end of deposition of the carbonate bank and the beginning of the deposition of quartz sand and clay began when?
(1) Early Cretaceous
(2) Late Cretaceous
(3) Paleocene
(4) Miocene
(5) Jurassic
8. How did the islands of the Greater Antilles form? See discussion of Antillean orogeny and Figure Florida 7 (both in the pdf)
(1) Entrance of the offshore part of the Florida platform into a subduction zone and collision with the island arc
(2) northward subduction of the Caribbean plate beneath North America
(3) Eruption of large volumes of flood basalts above a hotspot
(4) rifting of Laurentia and Gondwana during formation of the Gulf of Mexico
9. During what time period was sea level highest? See time slices on website
(1) Late Jurassic
(2) Pleistocene
(3) Miocene
(4) Cretaceous
(5) present-day
10. Animals were able to migrate freely between North America, South America and Florida (leaving behind abundant fossils) beginning during what time period?
(1) Late Jurassic
(2) Cretaceous
(3) Eocene
(4) Pliocene
(5) ~10,000 years ago
11. Sea level was very low during the Pleistocene because?
(1) large volumes of water were used by glaciers
(2) average seawater temperatures were high and therefore water volume was very low
(3) formation of the Himalayan Mountain belt drove water away from Europe and Asia
(4) rates of seafloor spreading around the globe were very low
(5) formation of the Greater Antilles during the Anillean orogeny drove water into Florida
12. Which of the following is true regarding the map outline of Florida when sea level was at its lowest?
(1) Florida was completely submerged below sea level
(2) formation of the Greater Antilles during the Antillean orogeny drove water into Florida
(3) only a narrow spine (<50 km wide) spine of Florida was above sea level.
(4) Florida, the Greater Antilles, and the Yucatan area were all a single connected landmass
(5) the coastline of Florida extended over 100 km to the west of the present-day coastline
13. From where did the quartz sand found on Florida beaches come from?
(1) erosion of the rocks presently in the subsurface of Florida
(2) the Greater Antilles
(3) the Lesser Antilles
(4) the Appalachians
(5) erosion of Gondwana rocks from South America and Africa
14. The extensive phosphate deposits of Florida are the result of?
(1) burial and chemical transformation of phytoplankton that lived in the shallow waters of the Florida platform
(2) phosphorous emitted by volcanoes in the Lesser Antilles island arc
(3) clams and corals found in Cretaceous carbonates deposits
(4) phosphorous emitted by the mid-Atlantic ridge
(5) phosphate deposits of Georgian and South Carolina that were eroded and re-deposited in Florida.
Florida- Geology of Florida by Albert C. Hine.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also Include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.