The posted coordinates will bring you inside the Florida Museum of Natural History on the University of Florida's campus. The museum is open Monday through Saturday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Sunday from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. If you come during the week, there is a fee for parking until 3:30 PM unless you have a UF decal for the adjacent parking lot. The majority of the museum is free, however if you would like to visit the travelling exhibit and the Butterfly Rainforest, you will need to pay an entry fee.
To claim credit for this earthcache, please visit the museum, enter The Hall of Florida Fossils exhibit, answer the questions and email your answers to the cache owner through their profile. Please do not post your answers to the questions in your log, even if encrypted.
Throughout the Hall of Florida Fossils exhibit, you will find informational signs, fossils and replicas. The information that you will need to complete this earthcache is located throughout the exhibit and the entire exhibit is wheelchair accessible. The following are the parts of the exhibit:
The earthcache will focus on the Walk through Time portion and the majority of the information for this earthcache is taken directly from the exhibit signs, but please take time to enjoy the remainder of the exhibits.
The oldest rocks under Florida's surface are about 500 million years old. The geologic history has been studied through drilling cores deep into the underlying rock throughout the state while doing scientific reasearch as well as during exploration for natural resources. The cores tell the history of the subterranean foundations of the state. Paleomagnetic studies of these rocks show that ancient Florida was part of northwestern Africa during the Ordovician Period and became a part of North America after the split of the supercontinent Pangaea 220 to 250 million years ago.
Florida's surface is composed of sedimentary rock with igneous and metamorphic rock not naturally occurring until depths of several thousand feet are reached. Carbonate deposition began in Florida during the Mesozoic period reaching a thickness of over 8,000 feet in South Florida. There are many different types of minerals that are found in eocene limestone. These include calcite, dolostone, rock gypsum, chert and aragonite.
Eocene - Florida: 55 to 34 million years ago - Under the Sea
Lush tropical forests blanketed much of the world's landmasses during the Eocene. Oceans were generally warmer than today. Florida was underwater with a rich mosaic of shallow and deeper water habitats on a submerged limestone platform.
Oligocene - Florida: 34 to 24 million years ago - Out of the sea
Global climates became cooler during the Oligocene, causing sea levels to drop. At least the northern portion of the Florida platform, once abundant with tropical marine habitat, was now land.
Miocene - Florida: 24 million to 5 million years ago - Gulf Haven
While much of the Northern Hemisphere was becoming cooler, the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico protected Florida. Still, Florida's climate became increasingly drier and more seasonal, particularly during the late Miocene.
Pliocene - Florida: 5 million to 2 million years ago - First Pan-American Highway
The formation of a land bridge across Panama in Central America about 3 million years ago was a major biotic event. Both North and South America had been previously isolated for millions of years. Each had evolved its own unique flora and fauna.
Pleistocene - Florida: 2 million to 10,000 years ago - Good news, bad news
The Ice Ages of the Pleistocene wreaked climactic havoc on northern continents, but Florida was buffered from the worst effects by the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Nevertheless, rapid pulses of climate change profoundly affected the area. During glacial periods (low sea levels), Florida was over twice as large as it is today. Warmer periods (high sea levels) caused the peninsula to shrink in size.
Please email the cache owner the answers to the following questions:
1) There are 3 parts to this question. What animal is the oldest vertebrate fossil known from Florida? What was the depth that it was found? Based on the animal that was found, do you think Florida was under water or was it dry land at the time this animal lived?
2) How did karst topography contribute to Florida's fossil record?
3) What are the two rock units commonly encountered by mining operations in central Florida?
4) Which era did the I-75 site become land and what fossils were found at that site, indicating a nearby ancient shoreline?
5) The first alligators appeared in Florida in the early Miocene. What is the name of the farm that first recorded their arrival in this area from South America?
6) What event allowed the Terror Bird to migrate to this area and what epoch did that occur in?
7) Study the shell wall. How do the different layers depicted tell the story of the formation of the limestone?