Big Cypress National Preserve is located in Southwest Florida between the cities of Miami and Naples. Big Cypress is namend for the large size of the preserve, not the large trees.
The Big Cypress area is one of the lowest, youngest, and most geologically stable platforms of North America. This overall stability belies dynamic geologic processes at work on the landscape of South Florida. With its low lying landmass, South Florida has been repeatedly submerged and exposed with variations in sea level over the past 50,000 years. Beneath the surface at Big Cypress are thousands of feet of roughly horizontal geologic layers. The rocks underlying this area are among the oldest in South Florida and are composed of silt, sand, and carbonate minerals. The Big Cypress National Preserve defines the western boundary of the Everglades. This area is slightly higher in elevation than the Everglades basin because it is underlain primarily by the coral- rich limestone of the (Pliocene) Miami Limestone and the Tamiami Formation.
[source: U.S. National Park Service www.nps.gov]
[source: Wikipedia www.wikimedia.org]
At the indicated coordinates you will find a nice picnic area in the Big Cypress National Preserve next to the Highway 41. You can park your car and walk on a short boardwalk. If you are lucky, you will see lots of wildlife.
To claim credit for this cache, please answer the following questions by email prior to logging the cache. You will find the answers on the infoboards in the picnic area and in the listing:
1. What is the primarily underlying geologic layer in this area?
2. Make a short description of the water flow in the Everglades.
3. How many acres does the Big Cypress National Preserve encompass?
4. What is the name of the picnic park?
Optional: You can upload a picture of you or your GPS at the park with your log.
You do not have to wait for approval to log after you have sent in your answers, but if your answers are not correct, your log may be deleted.
Please note: It is illegal to feed or harass wildlife! Alligators can be dangerous!
Enjoy Yourself !
