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. The geology of South Florida together with a warm wet subtropical climate provides conditions well-suited for a large marshland ecosystem Layers of porous and permeable limestone create water-bearing rock and soil that affect the climate weather and hydrology of South Florida the properties of the rock underneath the Everglades can be explained by the geologic history of the state the crust underneath Florida was at one point part of the African region of the supercontinent Gondwana About 300 million years ago North America merged with Africa connecting Florida with North America Volcanic activity centered on the eastern side of Florida covered the prevalent sedimentary rock with igneous rock Continental rifting began to separate North America from Gondwana about 180 million years ago When Florida was part of Africa it was initially above water but during the cooler Jurassic Period the Florida Platform became a shallow marine environment in which sedimentary rocks were deposited Through the Cretaceous Period most of Florida remained a tropical sea floor of varying depths the peninsula has been covered by seawater at least seven times since the bedrock formed. 8 Economy SR A1A, Haiti Haiti The area from Orlando to the tip of the Florida peninsula was at one point a single drainage unit When rainfall exceeded the capacity of Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River floodplain it spilled over and flowed in a southwestern direction to empty into Florida Bay Prior to urban and agricultural development in Florida the Everglades began at the southern edge of Lake Okeechobee and flowed for approximately 100 miles (160 km) emptying into the Gulf of Mexico the limestone shelf is wide and slightly angled instead of having a narrow deep channel characteristic of most rivers the vertical gradient from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay is about 2 inches (5.1 cm) per mile creating an almost 60-mile (97 km) wide expanse of river that travels about half a mile (0.8 km) a day This slow movement of a broad shallow river is known as sheetflow and gives the Everglades its nickname River of Grass Water leaving Lake Okeechobee may require months or years to reach its final destination Florida Bay the sheetflow travels so slowly that water is typically stored from one wet season to the next in the porous limestone substrate the ebb and flow of water has shaped the land and every ecosystem in South Florida throughout the Everglades' estimated 5,000 years of existence the motion of water defines plant communities and how animals adapt to their habitats and food sources, Barry University (private) Miami Florida Business directory.

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