Cliffs of West Florida
MILE-HIGH CLIFF marks the edge of the continental slope west of Florida (C). This undersea precipice, known as the Florida Escarpment, stands more than four times as high as the Empire State Building. Whereas the tilt of the continental slope elsewhere is typically just a few degrees, the face of the escarpment is, on average, slanted at 35 degrees. In many places the walls of the escarpment are near vertical. The seafloor here is made up of the countless skeletons of marine organisms that have cemented together. The gradual accumulation of this material once formed a gently dipping ramp. But some force, perhaps great sweeping currents, eroded the base of the slope. Today extremely salty groundwaters seep out of the face of the escarpment and dissolve the rock there. Weakened by this decay, the slope can collapse, taking a good deal of overlying material with it. Curiously, little if any vestige of the vast amount of material worn away can be found along the base of the cliff.