Pleistocene and Holocene geology of the island shelf near Kingston, Jamaica

Abstract

The present-day distribution of coral reefs, coral cays, banks and gravel spits on the island shelf off Kingston, Jamaica, suggests that these are superimposed upon an old erosional surface with a base level at approximately 40 m below modern sea level and which was subsequently modified by partial burial under the Liguanea gravel fan. Many of the cays an patch reefs seem to be built upon erosional remnants, whereas the main barrier reef running from South to South East Cays veneers part of what appears to be an old gravel spit deposited on the —40 m surface. This ridge parallels the trend of the modern Palisadoes spit and has no obvious relation to the morphology of the underlying platform; indeed it bridges the deepest feature of the area studied, an 80 m deep submarine valley cut into the edge of the island shelf. We believe that this gulch was eroded into the —40 m surface during an extreme low stand of the sea.