On the continent of North America, the Florida embankment and the Mississippi embayment are large areas of thick sedimentation within the Atlantic and Gulf coastal province of post-Paleozonic age.

The Florida embankment occupies an exterior position on a broad continental rise between the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico and those of the Atlantic Ocean. It has a central axis of thin sediments, a thick column of beds rich in carbonate grains derived from marine sources, and very few beds that were deposited above sea level.

In contrast, the Mississippi embayment occupies a position within the continent between the Ouachita and Appalachian Mountains. It has a central axis of thick sediments, a thick column of beds rich in quartz grains and clay minerals derived from the mountains, any many beds deposited above sea level.

The consequences of these important differences are discussed; also, stratigraphic divisions of the Florida column are presented.

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