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Systematic Mapping of Bedrock and Habitats along the Florida Reef Tract—Central Key Largo to Halfmoon Shoal (Gulf of Mexico)

USGS Professional Paper 1751

by Barbara H. Lidz, Christopher D. Reich, and Eugene A. Shinn

Introduction: Table of Contents Project Overview Project Objective Geologic Setting Primary Datasets Primary Products - Overview Maps & Evolution Overview: Introduction Depth to Pleistocene Bedrock Surface Reef & Sediment Thickness Benthic Ecosystems & Environments Sedimentary Grains in 1989 Summary Illustration Index Map Evolution Overview Tile-by-Tile Analysis Organization of Report Tiles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7/8, 9/10, 11 Summary Acknowledg- ments References Disclaimer Related Publications

Tile 6 Geography Sector-Specific Studies Marine Sanctuaries, Marine Archaeology, and Looe Key Reef Marine Sanctuaries Marine Archaeology Looe Key Reef Geologic Highlights Marine Archaeology: Though not present today, an island existed at Looe Key Reef in historical times (Fig. 87A). The island, or key, was named after the British frigate H.M.S. Looe, which ran aground on the reef in 1744 and sank. Mendel Peterson of the Smithsonian Institution traveled to the Florida Keys in 1951 to examine the artifacts and historical background surrounding the wreck (Mathewson, 1997). His painstaking studies laid the groundwork for establishing marine archaeology as a science in the Florida Keys. The relatively shallow waters of the Florida Keys are littered with shipwrecks of historical and archaeological value. Estimates run from 25 to 50 such wrecks from Spanish armadas alone (Tucker, 1997). Shipwreck exhumation is a slow and complicated process because of, among other things, tides, currents, low visibility, and limited access to the sea floor in water of any significant depth. Meticulous shipwreck archaeology assesses the cultural, social, and historical aspects of the vessel, the time and cause of its wrecking, its occupants, and its sunken artifacts. Marine archaeology differs from treasure hunting in which the only goal is to retrieve objects of monetary value. The best-known shipwreck in the keys is that of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, a Spanish galleon laden with silver, gold, and precious gemstones that sank in 1622 off the Marquesas Keys in the Gulf of Mexico. Treasure salvor Mel Fisher found the Atocha in 1985, after 16 years of searching (Tucker, 1997). His salvors are using marine archaeological methods as they continue to log and recover parts of the vessel and its treasures. continue to: Looe Key Reef

Coastal & Marine Geology Program > Center for Coastal & Watershed Studies > Professional Paper 1751