Warm Mineral Springs (8S019) is a 70 m deep spring

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THE WARM MINERAL SPRINGS ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT:
CURRENT RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
Wilburn A. Cockrell
Warm Mineral Springs Archaeological Research Project
Warm Mineral Springs, Florida, 33596 U.S.A.
Warm Mineral Springs (8S019) is a 70 m deep spring-fed sinkhole in Sarasota
County, Florida. Saline anaerobic water enters the cenote at a depth of 70
meters below water surface at a temperature of 32 to 34°C.
The cenote's limestone walls are draped intermittently with dripstone formation
zones from 4 to 30 m below surface; additionally the underwater sediments are
producing exotic tufa specimens.
Archaeological deposits recovered range from Formative Stage artifacts (ethnographic present back to approximately 2500 BP), artifacts from the Archaic Stage
materials dating
(2500 BP to approximately 8-900 BP), and Paleo-Indian Stage mate,;als
back thus far to 11,000 radiocarbon years BP; the oldest human remains stratigraphically and chronologically coexist with ground sloth, saber cat, horse, camel
and extant species.
There are three archaeological foci: 1) the remains located on land; 2) dry-laid
deposits on the 13 meter ledge; and 3) deposits in the debris cone on the
bottom.
Phase I of the writer's research as principal investigator was conducted as
Florida State Underwater Archaeologist from 1972-83; Phase II began in 1983 and
continues, funded by the Florida State Legislature.
Current research is principally conducted on the debris cone 50 m below surface
utilizing both scuba and surface supplied air. Technology consists of timehonored archaeological techniques, coupled with innovations when need dictates.
(8S019), in southern Sarasota County, Florida, is a 70 m deep
Warm Mineral Springs (8So19),
limestone springs-fed sinkhole, with a surface outflow of approximately five to seven
million gallons of water daily. The water originates principally in the Floridan Aquifer,
some 1,000 m below present land surface and is anaerobic (contains no dissolved oxygen)
and heavily mineralized, with an inflow at nearly 20 million gallons per day entering the
sinkhole shaft at a temperature of 33°C. Due to the mixing with smaller cold water
springs, some of a shallower origin, the surface temperature is approximately 30.5°C year
around. Due to the fresh water addition, and sunlight penetration to the shallower
depths, the upper 7 m contains sufficient dissolved oxygen to support limited flora and
fauna. Beneath the upper 7 m, however, there exists remarkable preservation of organic
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Diving for Science...86
remains due to lack of bacterial action. For over two decades, the property has been
operated as a mineral water bathing area and health spa by a concerned and
preservation-minded family group, but the entire 31 hectares parcel is now actively on
the real estate market. Although it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places,
there is virtually no legal mechanism for protection of the archaeological, geological, or
paleontological remains which contribute to making this site one of the most significant
and unique such sites in the entire world. Ultimately, the site and its singular treasures
face complete destruction unless the area comes under public ownership.
The Warm Mineral Springs Archaeological site, as a result of research conducted
there by the Principal Investigator, has proven to be a continuous window into Florida's
past, going back in time at least twenty to thirty thousand years since the sinkhole
opened; the limestone walls exposed by the sinkhole from the surface down to the bottom
layers of rock and fossils date back through the Miocene Epoch. Overlying surface
deposits are Recent and Pleistocene sands and marls; Pliocene deposits are not found
locally.
The world famed site is unique in the archaeological world for several reasons.
Primary among these are that there is a large body of data demonstrating that early
Native American peoples hunted and camped there, made tools there, and disposed of
their dead there at least as early as 12,000 years ago (10,960 ± 40 radiocarbon years
ago). Although this is of singular enough significance, as such sites are exceptionally rare
in the Western Hemisphere, the significance is greatly compounded due to the fact of
preservation. While there were, obviously, people living in other parts of the Western
Hemisphere, their remains and virtually none of their material culture have survived. The
Warm Mineral Springs deposits are preserved due to the effects of Pleistocene glaciations. So much of the world's ocean waters were taken up by the Continental glaciers
that sea level was down perhaps 100 m twelve thousand years ago, with a concomitant
lowering of ground water, and in Florida's case, a disappearance of virtually all surface
rivers, streams, ponds and the like. Towards the end of the Pleistocene Warm Mineral
Springs was already a sinkhole with its present shape, but the water surface was
approximately 30 m lower than today; ledges circled the deep pool, and humans buried
their dead there; other animals, such as the saber cat and giant ground sloth died there;
trees and many other plants grew; all these deposits accumulated, and were then covered
and preserved by the rising of the anaerobic waters which followed the melting of the
last Continental glaciers, beginning approximately 12 to 10 thousand years ago.
In addition to the extensive and marvelously preserved deposits on the once dry
ledge, with its overhanging giant stalactites tens of thousands of years old, there is a
greater and virtually unexplored area of prehistoric human and extinct floral and faunal
remains: the debris cone on the bottom. Even while people were burying their dead ten
millennia or more ago, while now extinct great beasts wandered the Florida landscape,
humans, artifacts, plants and animals were falling or being thrown into the depths of the
even then 45 m deep pool, covered by the preservative anaerobic waters to this day.
Nature has, in this unique preservative setting, provided a near magical window into
the past - a past which will record the first coming of humans into Florida, and then
the types of beasts and plants which met, and preceded, these first Floridians.
Now, in the Twentieth
most unique of sites. With
Century, technology, ignorance, and greed have damaged this
the advent of scuba diving in the 1950s,
19505, divers began to
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Cockrell: Warm Minerals Springs Project.
65
explore the depths, bringing up rare geological formations known as dendritic tufa,
exceptionally fragile crystalline formations rarely found in North America; hammers and
pry-bars were used to break off stalactites and stalagmites as souvenirs, or even for
commercial sales. The human bones have been looted, and subjected to desecration in
many instances, and virtually none of the artifacts, fashioned by these extinct peoples,
survive to this day.
In 1972, Stage I of the current Principal Investigator's investigations began at the
site when, at the request of the Sarasota County Historian, he examined the site in his
capacity as Florida's State Underwater Archaeologist. This Stage I research received
special appropriations from the Florida Legislature, in addition to the continuous annual
research through Florida's Division of Archives, History and Records Management's
regular underwater research budget. The work done in Stage I caused the site to receive
the international scientific recognition it deserved, and prompted the private owners to
continue to attempt to protect the underwater remains from vandals and looters.
In 1983, the Division of Archives, History and Records Management was reorganized,
and the Underwater Archaeological Research Section and the State Underwater Archaeologist position were abolished by the Department of State. That event prompted the
initiation of Stage II of the research. Through 1983 and 1984, the Principal Investigator
continued the research and preservation efforts, and in the 1984-85 Fiscal Year, thanks
to the efforts of many persons and organizations, but most particularly Florida Senator
Bob Johnson, the Project began receiving funds from the Florida Legislature. The 1984-85
Fiscal Year work proved exciting, and allowed expansion of earlier testing (from the
1970s) on the uplands surrounding the water's edge. This testing uncovered evidence of
human activities, such as tool making, from a cultural stage previously not isolated at
Le., the Archaic Stage (ca. 7,000 years old at this site).
this site, i.e.,
Thus, the uniqueness of the site becomes even more significant. At this one place,
we have clear evidence of the two earliest cultures in Florida - the Paleo-Indian and
Archaic cultural stages. The remains are found: 1) on land (but, due to lack of preservative context only stone tools and small bits of fossilized bone are found); 2) on the now
submerged, once-dry 13 m below surface ledges; and 3) in the debris cone on the bottom,
which is greater than 70 m wide at its base and is over 30 m thick, containing a huge
mass of virtually unexplored, incredibly preserved organic remains - a literal layer cake
of everything which ever fell or was thrown into the deep' waters of Warm Mineral
Springs.
CURRENT GOALS AND ACTIVITIES
The continuing goals of Stage II of the Warm Mineral Springs Archaeological
Research Project remain:
1)
Preservation of the cultural and natural resources at the site as the foremost
concern;
2)
The continuation of research on these cultural and natural deposits in order to
further our scientific and humanistic understanding, as well as to understand
and recognize contemporary threats, such as development, vandalism, or pollution, for example;
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3)
Continued dissemination of the data, and conclusions produced by the Statesponsored research, in order to further the understanding by both the general
public and the scientific world of the extreme significance of the site, and to
educate all concerns as to the extreme vulnerability of this precious heritage
(as this is written, there exist immediate plans by the State Department of
Environmental Regulation to permit deep injection of millions of gallons daily of
minimally treated sewage into the source of the Warm Mineral Springs waters,
less than 5 km from the site; should this occur, there are obvious long term
health threats to the thousands of visitors to the Springs, residents along the
outflow, Salt Creek, but even greater potential threats to the uniquely preservative qualities of the Springs water).
During the 1984-85 and the 1985-86 Fiscal year budgets, the Warm Mineral Springs
Archaeological Research Project has been able to acquire diving and research equipment
sufficient to allow unlimited safe underwater work to depths of 30 m or less as well as
equipment for uplands survey and excavation. During the 1985-86 Fiscal Year we have
been able to acquire state-of-the-art technical assistance on safe deeper diving technology through consulting contracts, lease, and limited purchase. This has allowed us for the
first time to safely work deeper than 30 m for periods of time sufficiently long to
accomplish meaningful work (principally coring and hand excavation to date).
The 1986-87 Fiscal Year budget will allow the Project to now utilize the systems and
innovative technology conceptualized and developed during the first two years of Stage
II. Our three stated goals are preservation, research, and education.
Presenation
Project staff's supportive research and assistance have been central to Senator Bob
Johnson's submission of the proposal for State purchase of the Warm Mineral Springs
property to the State Conservation and Recreational Lands Committee, and staff has
acted as on-site scientific staff/managers for liaison with the various State agencies
involved in the process.
The Principal Investigator was the first in the area to learn of the impending and
unopposed plan of a private utility to inject millions of gallons of sewage daily into the
Floridan Aquifer on property less than 5 km from the Springs. Immediate steps were
taken to notify and educate the public, as well as local, State, and Federal officials of
the disastrous implications of the planned actions. It is hoped that the immediate
effective response by Senator Bob Johnson, and subsequent actions by local officials
should negate this threat, at least for the immediate future.
The current long-term owners have only been prohibiting looting, vandalism, and
uncontrolled access to the underwater site since the Principal Investigator has maintained
a research interest here. The property, as noted earlier, is actively on the market; the
current owners have indicated to prospective buyers that the resources should be
protected, but also assert that there are no restrictions whatsoever on any prospective
owner. As noted, only public ownership can guarantee perpetual protection. In the
meantime, staff maintains security at the site as much as possible through liaison with
the county Sherifrs
Sheriff's office, community volunteer security pa,trols,
patrols, regular nighttime
security check by staff, and a limited electronic security system.
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Cockrell: Warm Mineral Springs Project.
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Research
As noted, the site has three areas of archaeological interest: 1) the uplands site; 2)
the 13 m below surface ledge, once dry, which contains human, animal, and plant remains
dating back 12,000 years (11
,000 radiocarbon years) and 3) the massive volume of deposits
(11,000
on the bottom, submerged beneath the protective anaerobic waters from the time they
were deposited there. These layers begin with objects dropped in today, and will extend
back in time to the era when the sinkhole cavity first opened to the surface, tens of
thousands of years ago. As the layers are peeled away, we will move backwards in time
from the present, to the Archaic Stage peoples, and their artifacts, then to the PaleoIndians, then on back into the Pleistocene, producing pollen, leaves, nuts, bones and
probably even preserved animal tissue. This massive debris cone is truly a museum of
Florida's past, and we are proceeding delicately but surely towards an understanding of
this unexplored frontier, available here because of the uniqueness of the site and the
precise research conducted thus far. At the conclusion of the 1985-86 Fiscal Year diving
season, Feature 86-U-2 was at a depth of 3 m into the cone, furnishing radiocarbon
dating of 2,550 ± 60 years BP.
While the deep debris cone work is the focus of the 1986-87 Fiscal Year research,
limited uplands archaeological research will be reinstated in order to further delineate
the already described Archaic and Paleo-Indian Stage deposits. We have now isolated an
uplands area on the southeast side of the Springs which has a very good possibility of
containing burials in ancient muck deposits.
As the site did not exist in a vacuum, it is becoming increasingly necessary to
understand the complex paleoenvironment of the vicinity, so different from that of today.
This understanding will be enhanced by information exchanges with scientists from many
disciplines, remote sensing (e.g. utilization of satellite maps and infrared aerial photography, offshore studies by federal agencies, and the like) and on site examination of
other archaeological and geological locales in the area.
Education
While the significance of this site has been known for years by a few scientists and
legislators, few outside the Project could have the specialized backgrounds necessary to
comprehend the major value to the scientific community and the general public. Since the
beginning of the Stage I phase in 1972, the Principal Investigator has continuously held
that the research and protection can be maintained only through educational information
disseminated to the world. This has been accomplished through scores of published
articles, filmstrips and videotapes, as well as lectures to tens of thousands of students,
scholars, civic organizations, and the like. Both college and university courses have been
taught at the site, and tours are constantly being given. During Stages I and II there
have been hundreds of news articles published, countless television and radio programs,
and scores of magazine articles done as a result of staff instigation. Currently we are
little or no cost to the Project. The British Broadcasting
continuing these activities, at litde
Corporation has completed its documentary on the Warm Mineral Springs Archaeological
Research Project for inclusion in its monumental series to be aired world-wide in 1987 to
commemorate the 25th anniversary of the founding of underwater archaeology. Additionally, Smithsonian Magazine has completed its feature story on the Project, to be published in the December 1986 issue.
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Staff will continue to report to the scientific community through conference lectures,
scientific papers and reports, and through dissemination of videotapes of the work. This
information spread will increasingly become enhanced, however, by the accelerating
research visits by scientists from archaeological and related disciplines. Currently the
National Park Service's Submerged Cultural Resources Unit is planning on working on the
site with us in the 1986-87 Fiscal year in order to share technology, as well as observe
the work proceeding here. The site, and the Project, have achieved world wide recognition; we have a truly singular opportunity to continue to protect and further enhance our
understanding of this most unique time capsule.