Bayshore Boulevard Live Cam

The Geological and Coastal Formation

Hillsborough Bay, cradling the curve of Bayshore Boulevard, is the product of Pleistocene sea‑level fluctuations that sculpted Florida’s west coast. Beneath the surface lies the Ocala Limestone, a porous carbonate bedrock riddled with solution cavities. Over time, siliciclastic sediments—quartz sand and silt carried by rivers—accumulated atop this foundation, giving rise to the bay’s gently shelved profile. The shoreline’s gentle gradient, rarely exceeding a one‑percent slope, allows for extensive intertidal flats where fine sediments settle, promoting the growth of seagrass meadows and mangrove fringes.