Sombrero Beach, Key Vaca Marathon, Florida

1
Sombrero Beach, Key Vaca (Marathon), Florida

• Stop 4 Muddy subtidal zone/rarely intertidal

2
West end of Sombrero Beach

• The following photos were taken of an area that
  is typically subtidal, but was exposed to
  intertidal conditions during spring tides
  accompanying the full moon during January of
  2009.
• The calcified green algae Halimeda and Penicillus
  are mud-coated and are rooted in a thin veneer of
  mud which overlies the Pleistocene bedrock.
• Halimeda is a prolific producer of sand to gravel
  sized sediment.
• Penicillus produces micrite-sized needles.

3
Red Mangroves with prop roots
4
Overview of muddy (usually) subtidal area
5
Clumps of the green alga Halimeda and isolated
green algae Penicillus
Penicillus
Halimeda
6
Mud-coated Penicillus and Halimeda
Penicillus
Halimeda