Sedimentary characteristics of Sugar Ridge and their implications for sediment transport in Lake Okeechobee, Florida

Lake Okeechobee is one of the largest lakes in the United States, yet its formation, circulation, and geomorphology are not well known. The ridges that occur on the eastern and northern shorelines of the lake have not been studied. Sugar Ridge is the closest ridge to the lake on the central part of the eastern shoreline. It is composed of medium- to fine-grained quartz (sugar sand) sediments in a dynamic form, superimposed upon organic peat and muck layers. It contains centimeter-scale bedding that exhibits many sedimentary structures typical of an accretionary barrier beach. Wind waves are considered the most likely cause of transport of the clastic sediments to the study area. Variations in lake level and wind in the region are such that conditions were favorable for development primarily in the winter. That is when lake levels were high enough to reach the ridge and the winds were strong enough to cause waves to transport sediment. Sediment was transported from the mouth of the Kissimmee clockwise around the northern perimeter. However, today the lake is completely enclosed and its levels are constantly manipulated.