Quartz Sands of the Florida Cypresshead Formation

The Cypresshead Formation is comprised primarily of quartz sand, but it can also contain variable percentages of clay, feldspar and heavy minerals. The quartz sand ranges in size from fine to coarse with occasional discoid quartz pebbles. Clay content ranges from a trace amount to as much as 50 percent. When the clay content is high enough, it can act as a binding agent. The upper portion of the Cypresshead Formation is typically orange to reddish in color with a mottled appearance due to weathering. The formation can be as much as 200 feet thick in parts of Florida.