Late Miocene glacial-eustatic lowering of sea level: Evidence from the Tamiami Formation of south Florida

Upper Miocene subsurface stratigraphic sections in southwest Florida provide evidence of a major regression attributed to a glacial-eustatic sea-level drop associated with late Miocene Southern Hemisphere glaciation. The regression is indicated by pronounced lithologic, faunal, and floral changes indicative of a fluctuation from marine to brackish water conditions. In some wells the regression is evidenced by quartz pebbles overlying a disconformity. A similar regression recorded in terrestrial vertebrate deposits of the Florida platform suggests that it may be possible to establish an integrated onshore-offshore stratigraphy, chronology, and paleoenvironmental history for this region.