Alum Bluff in Liberty County has been officially recognized as Florida’s first State Invertebrate Paleontological Site and the ninth State Geological Site by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The site, located within The Nature Conservancy’s Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve, features exposed rock layers along the Apalachicola River that provide insight into millions of years of geological history.
Rising about 120 feet above the river, Alum Bluff displays fossil-bearing limestone, sand, silt, and clay. These deposits are among the most diverse and well-preserved invertebrate fossil sites in the southeastern United States.
“Alum Bluff is the tallest natural exposure in Florida and one of the few places where you can see four different geological formations,” said Florida State Geologist and Florida Geological Survey Director Guy “Harley” Means, P.G. “Each formation contains clues, like diverse and well-preserved fossil assemblages, that help geologists interpret Florida’s geologic history over the past 18 million years. Geologists have been studying the strata exposed at this important site for more than 100 years, and we are still learning new things about it.”
The bluff also includes steep-sided ravines known as steepheads. These areas provide habitats for plant and animal species that have survived since the last ice age.
“When The Nature Conservancy acquired the property, now known as Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve, in the 1980s, we named it for the unique geologic features, the bluffs and ravines, that motivated the organization to protect this landscape,” said The Nature Conservancy’s Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve Manager Catherine Ricketts. “After decades of restoration and management work to conserve the preserve’s biodiversity, The Nature Conservancy is proud to continue to support and protect Florida’s natural heritage with these designations for Alum Bluff from the Florida Geological Survey.”
The designation of State Invertebrate Paleontological Sites is intended to safeguard areas with rare or scientifically important invertebrate fossils. State Geological Sites highlight locations where people can learn about geological features important to local ecosystems as well as cultural history.
Visitors are asked to follow Leave No Trace principles by staying on marked trails, removing trash, and not disturbing natural or cultural resources.
A dedication ceremony was held at Alum Bluff where Guy “Harley” Means presented an official designation plaque to Catherine Ricketts. Attendees later toured Alum Bluff by boat along the Apalachicola River.
State law gives authority to designate significant geological sites for scientific study; other recognized sites include Jennings Bluff Tract, Torreya State Park, Falling Waters State Park, Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, Florida Caverns State Park, Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park,and Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park.
