Miami Limestone

The Miami Limestone (formerly the Miami Oolite), named by Sanford (1909), occurs at or near the surface in southeastern peninsular Florida from Palm Beach County to Dade and Monroe Counties. It forms the Atlantic Coastal Ridge and extends beneath the Everglades where it is commonly covered by thin organic and freshwater sediments. The Miami Limestone occurs on the mainland and in the southern Florida Keys from Big Pine Key to the Marquesas Keys. From Big Pine Key to the mainland, the Miami Limestone is replaced by the Key Largo Limestone. To the north, in Palm Beach County, the Miami Limestone grades laterally northward into the Anastasia Formation. The Miami Limestone consists of two facies, an oolitic facies and a bryozoan facies (Hoffmeister et al. [1967]). The oolitic facies consists of white to orangish gray, poorly to moderately indurated, sandy, oolitic limestone (grainstone) with scattered concentrations of fossils. The bryozoan facies consists of white to orangish gray, poorly to well indurated, sandy, fossiliferous limestone (grainstone and packstone). Beds of quartz sand are also present as unindurated sediments and indurated limey sandstones. Fossils present include mollusks, bryozoans, and corals. Molds and casts of fossils are common. The highly porous and permeable Miami Limestone forms much of the Biscayne Aquifer of the surficial aquifer system.
State Florida
Name Miami Limestone
Geologic age Pleistocene
Lithologic constituents
Major
Sedimentary > Carbonate > Limestone (Bed)The Miami Limestone consists of two facies, an oolitic facies and a bryozoan facies (Hoffmeister et al. [1967]). The oolitic facies consists of white to orangish gray, poorly to moderately indurated, sandy, oolitic limestone (grainstone) with scattered concentrations of fossils. The bryozoan facies consists of white to orangish gray, poorly to well indurated, sandy, fossiliferous limestone (grainstone and packstone). Fossils present include mollusks, bryozoans, and corals. Molds and casts of fossils are common. The highly porous and permeable Miami Limestone forms much of the Biscayne Aquifer of the surfical aquifer system.
Sedimentary > Clastic > Sandstone (Bed)Beds of quartz sand also are present as unindurated sediments and indurated limey sandstones.
References

Scott, T.M., Campbell, K.M., Rupert, F.R., Arthur, J.D., Missimer, T.M., Lloyd, J.M., Yon, J.W., and Duncan, J.G., 2001, Geologic Map of the State of Florida, Florida Geological Survey & Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Map Series 146, scale 1:750,000.

Scott, Thomas M.P.G. #99, Text to Accompany the Geologic Map of Florida, Open-file Report 80, Florida Geological Survey, 2001.

Sanford, S., 1909, The topography and geology of southern Florida: Florida Geological Survey Second Annual Report, p. 175-231.

Hoffmeister, J.E., Stockman, K.W., and Multer, H.G., 1967, Miami Limestone of Florida and its Recent Bahamian counterpart: Geological Society of America Bulletin 78, p. 175-190.

NGMDB product
Counties Broward - Collier - Miami-Dade - Monroe - Palm Beach