There is no physical cache at this location.  Send the answers to the questions below to receive credit.  Do not post the answers in your log or it will be deleted.

The Savannas Preserve State Park is situated on the eastern edge of the Eastern Valley
geomorphic province of the Atlantic Coastal Lowlands. This province extends eastward
from the Osceola Plain province of the central Florida peninsula to the Atlantic Ocean, and
spans the eastern peninsula from Jacksonville southward to southern Palm Beach County.
The Eastern Valley is characteristically flat and elevationally low, with land surface
elevations varying between zero and 35 feet above mean sea level (MSL). Surficial
sediments are predominantly marine terrace sands and shelly sands, deposited during the
Pleistocene age Pamlico sea level highstand. Relict beach ridges, paralleling the modern
ast coast, are com e mon features throughout the Eastern Valley.

Bordering the eastern edge of the Eastern Valley province, between the Savannas and the
Indian River, is a narrow coast-parallel sand ridge named the Atlantic Coastal Ridge. This
ridge system extends intermittently along Florida’s east coast from Jacksonville Beach to
just south of Miami. Elevations along that portion of the ridge near the preserve average
about 30 to 35 feet above MSL, and isolated sand hills on the ridge may attain elevations
of 50-60 feet above MSL. These higher elevations appear to represent now quiescent
aeolian dunes built up on the ridge core. Near the preserve, the ridge varies from 1/8 and
1/4 mile wide. The Atlantic Coastal Ridge has a foundation composed of calcareous
sandstone and sandy coquina of the Pleistocene Anastasia Formation, and is believed to be
developed on former offshore bars of the Pamlico (Pleistocene) sea.

Savannas Preserve State Park occupies most of a north-south trending, 13 miles long by
3/4-mile wide marshy swale, situated along the western side of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge.
The savanna terrain extends from approximately St. Lucie Inlet northward to Ft. Pierce.
Land elevation within the swale is approximately 12 feet above MSL. During recent
history, Savannas has been a freshwater marsh. It is believed that the topographically low,
trough-like area occupied by the Savannas is a portion of a relict Pleistocene waterway,
analogous to the modern Indian River estuary. The Atlantic Coastal Ridge may have
functioned as a barrier island during higher sea level in the late Pleistocene, with a shallow,
coast parallel lagoon behind it to the west. Sand and silt infilling of this Pleistocene lagoon,
in conjunction with a late Pleistocene sea level drop, produced the modern savanna
topography.

The stratigraphy and hydrostratigraphy underlying the preserve are shown in that the
preserve is underlain by over 12,000 feet of Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks,
resting on Mesozoic volcanic basement rock. Most of the younger overlying rocks are
Cretaceous and Cenozoic age marine carbonates and siliclastics, which dip and thicken to
the southeast. The Cenozoic rocks, which comprise the upper 3,000 feet of the sediment
column, are Paleocene, Eocene and Oligocene carbonates, which function as primary
aquifers. These are overlain by Miocene to Recent age siliclastics. Most water wells
penetrate Eocene and younger sediments. The three primary hydrostratigraphic units
present near the preserve, in order of increasing depth, are: the surficial aquifer system, the
intermediate aquifer system or intermediate confining unit, and the Floridan aquifer
system.

- From the Florida Department of Environmental Protection - Unit Management Plan - June 6, 2003

1) As you walk along the paths leading up to and away from the GZ, what type of soil do you see?

2) As you look around you, what characteristics show that this is apart of the Eastern Valley of the Atlantic Coastal Lowlands?

3) Walking from the White Trail to the Orange Trail, what characteristics show that you may be near the Atlantic Costal Ridge?

4) OPTIONAL - Take a picture of you at the GZ. 

Savannas Preserve State Park

The state park grounds are open 365 days a year, from 8:00 a.m. until sundown. The Education Center is open Thursday through Monday, from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

$3.00 per vehicle. Please use the honor box to pay fees. Correct change is required. Limit 8 people per vehicle.

Please do not enter the park from anywhere except the Walton Rd. main entrance or the horse parking area around the corner.

Geocaching while enjoying nature makes for a great day. Yes the numbers are fun; however, being able to enjoy God's creation is much more exciting. You will be hiking almost 10 miles roundtrip to get these caches. BRING LOTS OF WATER. The area can get very wet during periods of high rain. Some caches are in areas where high water may be found. Please plan accordingly. Enjoy the finds and nature.

BRING LOTS OF WATER