Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park is a

Florida State Park There are 175 state parks and 9 state trails in the U.S. state of Florida which encompass more than , providing recreational opportunities for both residents and tourists. Almost half of the state parks have an associated local 501(c)(3) non- ...

located in the north-westernmost part of

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, which had a population of 339,247 in ...

, off County Road 232, also known as NW 53rd Avenue and Millhopper Road, northwest of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

. The park is maintained by the Florida State Parks system, a division of the

Florida Department of Environmental Protection The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) is the Florida government agency responsible for environmental protection. History By the mid-1960s, when the federal government was becoming increasingly involved in initiatives desi ...

. The park is adjacent to San Felasco County Park and is near the

San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park is a Florida State Park in Alachua County, Florida. It is located northwest of Gainesville, Florida on CR 232 (Millhopper Road), just south of the town of Alachua. Fauna Among the wildlife of the park a ...

Geology

The most prominent feature of State Park is the large

sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...

formed by the

dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...

by acidic groundwater over long periods of time. Devil's Millhopper is unique in Florida in terms of its scale; over of rock layers are exposed. The cutaway, limestone sides of the sinkhole provide an easily visible geological record of the area. Twelve

springs Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

, some more visible than others, feed the pond at the bottom of the sinkhole. In the summer, the bottom of the sinkhole is dramatically cooler than the air at the surface due to the depth and shade from the canopy above. Significant fossil deposits include shark teeth, marine shells, and the fossilized remains of extinct land animals.

Ecology

Even though the park is only , three distinct ecological environments exist in the park, based on exposure to sun, fire, and water. In the

sandhill A sandhill is a type of ecological community or xeric wildfire-maintained ecosystem. It is not the same as a sand dune. It features very short fire return intervals, one to five years. Without fire, sandhills undergo ecological succession and be ...

environment, the sandy soil and regular fires result in

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...

trees being the predominant vegetation. The moist soils of the

hammocks A hammock (from Spanish , borrowed from Taíno and Arawak ) is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two or more points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. It normally consists of one or more cloth panels, or a wove ...

support broadleaf trees and more low vegetation, while the swamp areas only support flora and fauna adapted to year-around wet conditions.

History

The 120 foot (40 m) deep, 500 foot (150 m) wide

got its name from its similar appearance to the

hopper Hopper or hoppers may refer to: Places *Hopper, Illinois *Hopper, West Virginia * Hopper, a mountain and valley in the Hunza–Nagar District of Pakistan * Hopper (crater), a crater on Mercury People with the name * Hopper (surname) * Grace Ho ...

of a

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile manufacturing, Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the A ...

, along with the bones found at the bottom, suggesting animals entered it on the way to meeting the

devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...

. The Millhopper was owned for a time by the science department at the University of Florida and used as a research site for the students. Its unique ecosystem made it an invaluable resource for study. However, the Millhopper was often used by students as a place to socialize and have parties, which led to problems with litter and erosion from foot traffic. The site was purchased by the state in 1974, and a set of 236 wooden steps, along with boardwalks and an observation deck at the bottom were completed in 1976 to allow access to the sink for visitors without further soil erosion. The boardwalk was damaged by

Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread destruction across its path in September 2017. Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Hurricane Ma ...

in September 2017, and closed to the public. The damaged boardwalk was replaced with a 132-step structure that ends higher in the sinkhole than the old one did. The path into the sinkhole reopened to the public on June 5, 2019. The formation was designated a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

in 1974, and was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

(in part for its surviving

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part o ...

infrastructure) in 2017. File:Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park, Sign.jpg, Park entrance sign File:Devil's Millhopper - 18.jpg, A nature trail in the park File:Gainesville FL Devil's Millhopper down01.jpg, Vegetation File:Devil's Millhopper - 3.jpg, Boardwalk by the sinkhole File:Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill at Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park.jpg, Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill near the entrance Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park, Registered Natural Landmark plaque.jpg, Registered Natural Landmark plaque

References

External links

Devil's Millhopper State Geological Site
a
Florida State Parks
a
Absolutely FloridaDevil's Millhopper State Geological Site
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Wildernet
{{authority control Parks in Alachua County, Florida State parks of Florida National Natural Landmarks in Florida Protected areas established in 1974 Tourist attractions in Gainesville, Florida Geography of Gainesville, Florida Landforms of Alachua County, Florida Sinkholes of Florida 1974 establishments in Florida National Register of Historic Places in Alachua County, Florida

Geology

Ecology

History

See also

References

External links