Quaternary depositional history of Providenciales and West Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies
Conference
·
· Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States)
OSTI ID:6595687
The Turks and Caicos Islands represent the SE limit of emergent portions of the Bahamian Platform. Providenciales and West Caicos are low-lying islands, composed of Quaternary marine and eolian carbonates, that lie near the NW margin of the Caicos Bank. Highest elevations of marine skeletal-peletal grainstones on Providenciales are 6m above present s.l.; reefs associated with marine grainstones on West Caicos are 3-4m above s.l., and allowing for growth in several meters water depth support interpretation of maximum s.l. as +6m. Marine sediments are dated as approximately 50,000 C14 Years B.P. This suggests correlation with the mid-Wisconsin s.l. maximum and implies tectonic instability. Eolian dunes achieve an elevation of 48 m on Providenciales, where they are differentiated into five systems based on geomorphology and grain composition. Oolites, now generated exclusively in the narrow swash-zone, predominate on the Bank side whereas coated pellets and skeletal grains characterize calcarenites formed in the seaward reef tract. Fall in s.l. to the late Wisconsin minimum (17,000 years, perhaps -120m) generated successively lower arcs of dunes as carbonate productivity decreased, and resulted in subaerial diagenesis as the entire Bank emerged. Spectacular karst formation during the late Wisconsin as well as earlier s.l. lows provided conduits that allow restricted marine faunas to flourish in inland lakes and sink holes.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. Chicago, IL (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6595687
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8510489-
- Conference Information:
- Journal Name: Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States) Journal Volume: 17
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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