Description

This MLRA makes up about 7,209 square miles (18,672 square kilometers) and is entirely in Florida. It meanders around the western and central ridge of central Florida from Gainesville to Lake Placid, and is irregularly shaped. It includes some of the oldest landscapes in peninsular Florida and is dominated by a series of marine sand ridges that mark the remnants of ancient shorelines (dating to the Pleistocene Epoch and earlier). Due to the underlying karst topography and drainage systems, the MLRA has few surficial rivers. Many endemic plant and animal species are associated with the ridges in this area. Livestock, citrus, specialty crops, and timber are important. MLRA 154 is extensively intertwined with MLRA 155 across the western mid-section of Florida. These two MLRAs differ slightly based on elevation and depth to limestone bedrock. As the depth to limestone bedrock increases, the risk of sinkhole formation and the accumulation of surface water into water bodies decrease. To the north, MLRA 154 borders MLRA 138, which has similar surficial geology but is underlain by limestone. To the northwest and northeast, it has a distinct boundary with MLRAs 152A and 153A marked by a scarp that borders a lower, wetter landscape.