Bayhead 



LEGEND 

 WaterE23 Algal MatEHS Fresh Water MarlEZI Pe; 



Figure 24. Cypress head/bay head sedimentary profiles (adapted from 

 Spackman et al. 1964). 



which suggests to Craighead (1971) 

 that peat accumulation may actually 

 "dissolve" the underlying limestone 

 and thus contribute to the mainte- 

 nance of the islands. In the bay- 

 head, freshwater marl beneath the 

 island is absent, elevation above 

 the water level is higher, and the 

 characteristic moat of the cypress 

 head is much less conspicious. 



As the last glacial ice sheets 



of the Pleistocene retreated, sea 

 level gradually rose to the vicinity 

 of where it now stands. However, 

 oscillations of sea level did not 

 stop with the passing of the Ice 

 Age; rather they became relatively 

 smaller and more frequent. Fair- 

 bridge (1974) presents a general 

 model of recent sea level changes 

 (Table 11) but warns that the south 

 Florida sequence is not well docu- 

 mented. 



58 



