THE WOODVILLE KARST PLAIN, A PLACE-BASED UNIT PRESENTING KARST GEOLOGY AND ITS ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS IN FLORIDA

Explore Florida is a web-based curriculum that grew out of the original SE MAPS project in response to needs specific to Florida's educational system. Florida is situated on a carbonate platform and an understanding of its karst terrain is essential to understanding both current environmental problems and aspects of life for the state's prehistoric peoples. The Woodville Karst Plain exhibits natural bridges, disappearing streams, springs, and numerous sinkholes.

A regional map showing modern cultural features is used to facilitate an initial activity that familiarizes students with general features of the study area. The second activity focuses attention on a small part of the study area, Leon Sinks. That activity uses a standard topographic map of Leon Sinks, along with an enlarged version. A map showing sinks and mapped caves is also used as students learn to relate surface and subsurface features to groundwater flow. The third activity focuses on discharge from the karst aquifer. A topographic map of Wakulla Springs, the Wakulla River and a nearby sink challenge students to consider prehistoric use of the spring and the problems of locating hazardous waste landfills in karst terrains. The fourth activity focuses on Spring Creek, an area where possibly 14 submarine springs discharge water into Spring Creek. This activity leads students to consider implications of the growing demand for fresh water as Florida's population grows.

The Woodville Karst Plain unit of Explore Florida utilizes maps and activities to introduce students to the karst environment of Florida. They are challenged to consider the effects of surface and subsurface features on groundwater flow. The life of Florida's prehistoric inhabitants is also related to the karst terrain. A final activity presents students with the reality of increasing demand for fresh water by an ever growing population thus relating the life of Florida's current inhabitants to the karst terrain.