Leon Sinks

Leon Sinks

The Leon Sinks Geological Area is located in southern and southwestern Leon County, Florida, United States. It's a mature karstic area on the Upper Floridan Aquifer. It is one of the most extensive underwater cave systems in the world and connects to Wakulla Springs.

This hydrological system is extremely vulnerable to pollution because of the very high permeability of the carbonate aquifer. Extensive mapping and exploration of these caves has been done by the Woodville Karst Plain Project to understand the complex dynamics of the area and to understand the proper ecological approach to keeping this system clean.

The Leon Sinks are full of life, including the cave crayfish, freshwater eel, and rare amphipods that exist only in the Woodville Karst Plain.

inkholes

Many of the sinkholes in the Leon Sinks Geological Area are linked through underwater caves. The area includes both wet and dry sinkholes. [ [http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/florida/local-resources/images/maps/apa/leon%20sinks.pdf Leon Sinks Geological Area] ]

Wet sinkholes

* Big Dismal - 100 foot drop to the water which drops another 100 feet underwater with a cave entrance at 80 feet down. [ [http://underwaterflorida.homestead.com/big.html Big Dismal Sink] ]
* Black
* Duckweed
* Fisher Creek
* Hammock
* Lost Stream
* Magnolia
* Natural Bridge

Dry sinkholes

* Back
* Big Eight
* Cone
* Far
* Field
* Gopher Hole
* Johnson
* Palmetto
* Tiny
* Turner

Park and trails

The Leon Sinks offer three hiking trails to the different sinkholes in the park including an observation platform at Big Dismal Sink. The trails feature over 20 species of trees and 75 different plants along with wildlife ranging from Carolina chickadees to gopher tortoises. [ [http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/regions/panhandleeast/trails/leon_sinks.htm Leon Sinks Geological Area] ]

Trails:
* Sinkhole trail - 3.1 miles
* Gumswamp trail - 2.3 miles
* Crossover trail - 0.5 miles

References

External links

* [http://www.wkpp.org/ Wakulla Karst Plains Project]
* [http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/regions/panhandleeast/trails/leon_sinks.htm "Leon Sinks Geological Area"] - from the Florida Department of State
*


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