Lithology and palynology of cave floor sediment cores from Wakulla Spring, Wakulla County, Florida

Abstract

Five short bottom sediment cores taken in Wakulla Spring Wakulla County, Florida, were described lithologicallyand sampled for palynological study. Four of the cores were recoveredfrom sediments at the spring cave entrance(130 feet water depth). One core was taken in a fossil vertebrate bone bed, 280 feet distance into the main springcave at a water depth of 240 feet. Sediments in the cores are composed of alternating intervals of quartz sand andcalcilitite, containing freshwater diatoms, freshwater mollusk shells and plant remains. The predominant pollenpresent in all cores consists of a periporate variety typical of the herb families Chenopodiaceae and Amaranthaceae.Arboreal flora, typical of the area surrounding the spring today, represent a very low percentage of thle pollenassemblage in the cores. Clustered Chenopod-Amaranth type pollen observed in one core suggest minimal transportprior to deposition, and indicate that the bottom sediments in the cave may be essentially In situ. An absence ofexotic flora suggests a Quaternary age for the sediments. (PDF contains 11 pages.)