About Florida Keys

Florida Keys Real Estate

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Florida Keys and all of the Islands

The Florida Keys are the exposed portions of an ancient coral reef, with very little sand. The northernmost island arising from the ancient reef formation is Elliott Key, in Biscayne National Park. North of Elliott Key are several small transitional keys, composed of sand built up around small areas of exposed ancient reef. Further north, Key Biscayne and places north are barrier islands, built up of sand.

The Florida Keys have taken their present form as the result of the drastic changes in sea level associated with recent glaciations or ice ages. Beginning some 130,000 years ago the Sangamon interglacial raised sea levels to approximately 25 feet (7.5 m.) above the current level. All of southern Florida was covered by a shallow sea. Several parallel lines of reef formed along the edge of the submerged Florida plateau, stretching south and then west from the present Miami area to what is now the Dry Tortugas.

This reef formed the Key Largo limestone that is exposed on the surface from Soldier Key (midway between Key Biscayne and Elliott Key) to the southeast portion of Big Pine Key and the Newfound Harbor Keys. The types of coral that formed Key Largo limestone can be identified on the exposed surface of these keys.

Starting about 100,000 years ago the Wisconsin glaciation began lowering sea levels, exposing the coral reef and surrounding marine sediments. By 15,000 years ago the sea level had dropped to 300 to 350 feet below the contemporary level. The exposed reefs and sediments were heavily eroded. Acidic water, which can result from decaying vegetation, dissolves limestone. Some of the dissolved limestone redeposited as a denser cap rock, which can be seen as outcrops overlying the Key Largo and Miami limestones throughout the Keys.

The limestone that eroded from the reef formed oolites in the shallow sea behind the reef, and together with the skeletal remains of bryozoans, formed the Miami limestone that is the current surface bedrock of the lower Florida peninsula and the lower keys from Big Pine Key to Key West. To the west of Key West the ancient reef is covered by recent calcareous sand.

Listed Below are the individual Keys in the Florida Keys.
UPPER KEYS	MIDDLE KEYS	LOWER KEYS
Keys in Biscayne National Park (accessible only by boat) in Miami-Dade County Transitional keys Soldier Key Ragged Keys Boca Chita Key Sands Key True Florida keys, exposed ancient coral reefs Elliott Key Adams Key Reid Key Rubicon Keys Totten Key Old Rhodes Key Keys in Monroe County Key Largo Plantation Key Windley Key Upper Matecumbe Key Lignumvitae Key Lower Matecumbe Key (Plantation Key through Lower Matecumbe Key are incorporated as Islamorada, Village of Islands. The "towns" of Key Largo, North Key Largo and Tavernier, all on the island of Key Largo, are not incorporated.)	Craig Key Fiesta Key Long Key (formerly known as Rattlesnake Key) Conch Key Duck Key Grassy Key Crawl Key Long Point Key Fat Deer Key Key Vaca Boot Key Knight's Key Pigeon Key (Key Vaca, Boot Key, Fat Deer Key, Long Point Key, Crawl Key and Grassy Key are incorporated in the city of Marathon)	Little Duck Key Missouri Key Ohio Key (also known as Sunshine Key) Bahia Honda Key Spanish Harbor Keys West Summerland Key No Name Key Big Pine Key Little Torch Key Middle Torch Key Big Torch Key Ramrod Key Summerland Key Knockemdown Key Cudjoe Key Sugarloaf Key Park Key Lower Sugarloaf Key Saddlebunch Keys Shark Key Geiger Key Big Coppitt Key East Rockland Key Rockland Key Boca Chica Key Key Haven (Raccoon Key) Stock Island Key West Sigsbee Park Fleming Key