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2021 Map of Horseshoe Keys

Name: 2021 Topographic Map of Horseshoe Keys
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2021
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2021

About this map

Horseshoe Keys and a scatter of smaller mangrove islands define this aquatic landscape in the Florida Keys as recorded by the USGS in 2021. The map focuses on the marine environment of the Gulf of Mexico, where shallow water features like Sideboard Bank, Bullfrog Banks, and Jack Bank dominate the northern half of the sheet. These submerged and intertidal banks are critical navigational landmarks for mariners threading the waters outside of the main channels.

Transportation through these shallows is dictated by the Intracoastal Waterway and the Big Spanish Channel, which provide passage between the low-lying islands. To the south, isolated landmasses including Little Pine Key Mangrove, Johnson Keys, and Sandfly Key emerge from the water, often surrounded by Sunken Coral Heads. The map preserves the specific locations of these natural features at a moment in time before sea-level changes or major storms might alter the coastal geometry of the Lower Keys.