Interesting Coquina Rock

Yesterday we walked further south on the Marineland beach heading toward our condo. On the way we ran into some really cool formations of the coquina rock that is so prevalent in this area. It was amazing to see this rock in its natural setting.

I loved the markings in the sand around this one.

Look at these interesting shapes.

Some of the rocks were covered in barnacles.

All of these rocks were formed as layers of shells settled and calcified at the bottom of the ocean. You can see the layers of shells in these rocks. The Spaniards used this rock to build with. They found it did not burn and termites could not eat it. They even build a huge fort in St. Augustine with the rock. They found that even cannonballs could not shatter the rock when they were fired into the walls of the fort. Instead, the cannonballs bounced off the rock or stuck in it a few inches. How cool is that!