SOME FLORIDA LAKES AND LAKE BASINS. 
59 
Miccosukee Basin has a total area of about 5,000 acres. In its 
northern part the basin is bordered by sharply defined bluffs, which 
rise from 50 to 75 or 100 feet above the lake bottom. Farther 
south these bluffs fall back and give place to a gradual rise of 
elevation from the lake border. At the south end bluffs are lack¬ 
ing. A drain known as Miccosukee drain enters from the east 
side. This drain consists of a low, swampy area from one-fourth 
to three-fourths mile in width. This swamp land supports a thick 
growth of hardwood trees. 
When full, Miccosukee Basin is covered with water to a depth 
of from 2 to 5 feet. Toward the south end around the border of the 
lake grass and button bushes project above the water even when 
the lake is full. 
The sink of Lake Miccosukee is located near the north-west 
corner (see Fig. 4). The sink is bordered by a bluff having an 
elevation of from 75 to 100 feet. Landslides along the border of 
the sink show recent enlargements of the basin. Numerous 
sinks occur along the border of the lake at this locality, showing 
enlargement of the lake basin through subsidence. The greatest 
depth of water found in the sink when examined September 7, 
1909, was 38 feet. A channel leads back from this sink across the 
prairie in a south-easterly direction. This channel has cut to a 
depth of from twenty to twenty-five feet. Followed back from 
the sink the channel is of gradually reduced depth finally at 
a distance of about two miles merging into the general level of 
the lake bottom. When examined September 8, 1909, this stream 
was carrying water into the sink at a rate estimated to be 200 gal¬ 
lons per minute. Notwithstanding the inflow from the stream 
the water in the sink was being gradually lowered. Heavy rains oc¬ 
curred in this vicinity on September 21, 1909, and this stream when 
seen two days later was carrying approximately 7,000 gallons of 
water per minute. At this time the sink was being rapidly filled, hav¬ 
ing filled several feet during the two preceding days. From these 
observations it appears that the opening at the bottom of this sink 
permits the escape of water at a rate in excess of 200 gallons per 
minute, but much less than 7,000 gallons per minute. From the 
behavior of the sink it is probable that not more than 1,000 gal¬ 
lons of water are escaping per minute, and the rate of escape may be 
much less. 
The principal escape of water from Lake Miccosukee when the 
lake is full is through a drain which leads out from the south end of 
the lake and enters a sink about two and one-fourth miles from 
the south end of the lake. This sink is formed in a light colored 
limestone of Upper Oligocene age, probably representing the Chat- 
