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The Tertiary in Florida, US

Tertiary in Florida map
 

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Tertiary Fossils
Fossil photos from Tertiary in Florida

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Paleontology and geology

During the Early Tertiary, Florida was submerged under a shallow sea where limy sediment accumulated on the sea floor. Later in the period, sands, silts, and clays from the eroding Appalachian Mountains filled a deep-water area (the Gulf Trough) that existed across a portion of what is now Florida’s panhandle. This deposition produced an emergent landmass that was rapidly invaded by terrestrial plants and animals. Sea level fluctuations continued in the Late Tertiary, and two of the world’s most species-rich deposits, the Miocene Chipola Formation in the panhandle and the Pliocene Pinecrest beds of southern Florida, formed. Each unit contains a molluscan fauna with a diversity of over 1,000 species.

Links to more on the Tertiary in Florida

Education and Exhibits | Research and Collections | Resources

Education and Exhibits

Events and Programs (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Pony Express: This Florida Museum of Natural History program promotes the study of fossil horses through research, fieldwork, education, and public involvement.

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Virtual Exhibits (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Fossil Horses in Cyberspace: Take a tour of the Fossil Horse Cybermuseum to learn about palentology and evolution by exploring the rich fossil record of horses. Created by the Florida Museum of Natural History.

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Physical Exhibits (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Hall of Florida Fossils: Evolution of Life and Land: Drawing upon the museum's internationally acclaimed fossil collections, this exhibit encapsulates the last 65 million years of Earth's history.

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Research and Collections

Researchers (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Paleobotany and Palynology at the Florida Museum of Natural History: The Paleobotany and Palynology Collection at the Florida Museum of Natural History is international in scope, including collections from 47 countries. Systematically the greatest strength of the collection is in Cretaceous-Tertiary angiosperms.

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Resources

Databases (showing 2 of 2 listings)

UF Vertebrate Paleontology Databases: On-line, searchable databases of over 200,000 specimens in the collection of the Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville.

Neogene Marine Biota of Tropical America: NMITA is an online biotic database containing images and data for taxa used in analyses of Tropical American Biodiversity over the past 25 million years. NMITA is designed for use in research and education in systematics and evolutionary paleontology. Major fossil groups included are bryozoans, corals, molluscs, ostracodes, and fish. Users may browse or search images and information about taxa or click on maps and stratigraphic columns for faunal lists for specific horizons. NMITA also provides several educational activities.  

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