Florida Rising

June 1, 2010

After months of grim news about the economy sinking, it turns out something’s actually going up, the State of Florida itself. A new University of Florida study finds new evidence that suggests the state is in fact rising by about one-twentieth a millimeter per year. Results point to the limestone landscape so commonplace in Florida. Limestone’s a type of carbonate rock that dissolves when exposed to water. Experts say you can think of the peninsula of Florida like a mattress.

Peter Adams/UF geology researcher: “The crust of the Earth, where it’s dissolving, responds by rising up because it’s got to equilibrate its pressure down below. Just as you get out of bed in the morning and your bed surface rises up, the same thing happens with the Florida crust.”

Some evidence of Florida’s rise comes from fossils unearthed recently that at one point could be found 60 to 70 meters below sea level. While the state’s still not rising as fast as worldwide sea levels, experts say they can learn a lot from Florida’s “growth.”

Peter Adams/UF geology researcher: “Well, it’s happening quite slowly so it’s not exactly fast enough to save us from sea level rise but it is an interesting indicator of how the landscape has evolved over several hundreds of thousands of years.”

And it offers insight into the past and the future of our landscape.