Alum Bluff in Liberty County has been officially designated as Florida’s first State Invertebrate Paleontological Site and the ninth State Geological Site by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The recognition highlights Alum Bluff’s significance for its geological and paleontological features, which include exposed rock layers that record millions of years of history.
Located within The Nature Conservancy’s Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve, Alum Bluff stands about 120 feet above the Apalachicola River. Erosion at the site has revealed limestone, sand, silt, and clay containing some of the most diverse and well-preserved fossil deposits 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 contains steep-sided ravines known as steepheads, which provide habitat 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.”
State Invertebrate Paleontological Sites are intended to safeguard areas with rare or scientifically important invertebrate fossils. State Geological Sites emphasize locations that allow people to experience Florida’s geological features and understand their role in local ecosystems as well as cultural history.
Visitors are encouraged to follow Leave No Trace principles when visiting Alum Bluff: remain on marked trails, remove all trash, and leave natural features undisturbed.
After a ceremony marking Alum Bluff’s designation, attendees participated in a boat tour along the Apalachicola River to observe its geological formations.
According to state law, sites considered significant for scientific study can be designated by the state geologist. Other sites with this status 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.
Florida State Geologist Guy “Harley” Means presented an official certificate recognizing Alum Bluff’s new designation to Catherine Ricketts during a ceremony held in Liberty County. A fossilized palm frond was also observed preserved in one of Alum Bluff’s exposed rock faces.
