Coast Of Belize Research Articles

Growth modelling indicates hurricanes and severe storms are linked to low coral recruitment in the Caribbean

This study set out to test the hypothesis that hurricanes and tropical storms limit the recruitment and subsequent survival of massive non-branching corals on the barrier reef off the coast of Belize in the Gulf of Honduras. Overall, the surface areas of 523 individual coral specimens were measured, and recruitment dates were then modelled. There was no significant difference in coral cover or coral biodiversity between any of the sites studied (p > 0.1). There were significant differences in non-branching coral recruitment in years when hurricanes impacted the area (p < 0.05) compared with years when no hurricanes impacted the area. There were significantly more non-branching massive corals recruited in non-hurricane years (mean 7.7) than in hurricane years (mean 3.8; p = 0.011). When years with tropical storms are added to the years with hurricanes, there was significantly lower coral recruitment (mean 4.7) relative to non-storm or hurricane years (mean 7.4; p = 0.019). These results show that hurricanes and severe storms limited the recruitment and survival of massive non-branching corals of the Mesoamerican barrier reef and on patch reefs near the Belize coast in the Caribbean, and suggests that marine park managers may need to assist coral recruitment in years where there are hurricanes or severe storms.

Pathoecology and paleodiet in Postclassic: Historic Maya from northern coastal Belize

This paper examines the synergism among diet, disease, and ecology at two related coastal Maya sites in Belize (Marco Gonzalez and San Pedro) for the Postclassic and Historic periods (1350-1650 AD), which immediately follow the Classic period collapse. Stable carbon- and nitrogen-isotope ratios in collagen and stable carbon-isotope ratios in structural carbonate were analysed for bones from 65 humans and a wide variety of faunal species. There are no apparent differences in whole diets or degree of carnivory between individuals with lesions indicative of anemia and those without, but those with lesions appear to have consumed significantly more C4 foods and protein from lower trophic levels. Non-specific infection (periostitis) and vitamin C deficiency (scurvy) are also present in high frequencies and appear to co-occur with lesions indicative of anemia, particularly in childhood. Individuals with scurvy also appear to have consumed significantly more C4 foods than normal individuals. Spondyloarthropathy is common in adults. These findings are discussed in light of: (1) the debate on how anemia versus scurvy are manifest and diagnosed, (2) Spanish ethnohistoric descriptions of the poor state of Maya health at the time of contact, and (3) the Osteological Paradox. We suggest that although this coastal environment exacerbated morbidity because of possible parasitic infection, the inhabitants were probably able to survive physiological stresses better than either their inland contemporaries or their modern counterparts.

Satellite tracking of whale sharks using tethered tags

Aggregations of whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, occur each year off South Africa (Indian Ocean) and in the waters surrounding Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras (Caribbean Sea), where they form the basis of a whale shark ecotourism industry. In 1998 and 1999 the Shark Research Institute deployed tethered satellite tags on five whale sharks in an effort to gather information on their diving profiles and both long-term and short-term movements. Satellite tags were attached to the sharks by divers using tag anchors placed in either the skin or musculature of the shark, and tethers from 1.5 to 7 m were used with varying degrees of success. Tethered tags provide real-time data about the habitat use and diving profiles of whale sharks, and may be recovered if they detach prematurely from the host animals. An unexpected finding was that the sharks dived regularly to depths of >320 m, which may have contributed to premature detachment of the tags due to drag and, as result, the hydrodynamics of the tag were refined. Sharks tagged off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, travelled northwards. One shark tagged off the coast of Utila Bay Islands, Honduras, travelled to the Swan Islands, then moved along the Yucatan Peninsula and into the Mexico Basin, while the second shark tagged off Utila travelled to the coast of Belize. This study confirms that tethered satellite tags are effective tools in monitoring travel paths and habitat use of whale sharks when real-time data is needed.

A Morphometric Comparison of Island and Mainland Boas (Boa Constrictor) in Belize

Relative to mainland Boa constrictor, boas from islands off the coast of Belize are described as being smaller, having longer tails, more elongate snouts, and proportionately larger eyes. However, no systematic confirmation of these patterns has been made. A morphometric study was initiated to investigate the body size and head shape variation between island and mainland boas in Belize. One hundred twentynine boas from five islands and the mainland were caught and measured. Univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that, in general, previous descriptions are accurate. Island boas are about half the length and one-fifth the mass of mainland boas. In contrast to mainland boas, no sexual size dimorphism is evident in island boas. The head shape of island boas differs from that of mainland boas but this divergence is not consistent among populations. Some island boas have more attenuate snouts compared to mainland boas whereas other island boas have larger eyes and narrower heads. Male island boas have longer tails compared to males from the mainland, but such a difference is not found in females from the two localities. The morphology of island boas is consistent with an arboreal habit and reduced prey size. Because these changes have occurred over an extremely short time interval, this may be another example of the speed and magnitude of adaptation that is possible in squamates.

Natural History and Conservation of Island Boas (Boa constrictor) in Belize

Boa constrictors inhabiting islands off the coast of Belize have been historically collected for the pet trade, and enthusiasts have described these as a dwarfed race. Additionally, it has been suggested that these boas feed on birds, yet no dietary data are available. I initiated a mark-recapture study of five Belizean island populations and have accumulated data on mainland individuals to describe the natural history and population biology of boas in this region. Results indicate that adult island boas from West Snake Cay eat small passerine birds (gray-breasted martins, Progne chalybea) that average 7% of the snake’s mass. Fecal samples from boas on other islands contained bird feathers and, although these feathers were unidentifiable, this indicates that other island boa populations also consume birds. Compared to mainland boas, island boas have significantly smaller litters of smaller neonates (lighter and shorter) and have extraordinarily small population sizes (range 8–88 total individuals). According to IUCN criteria, island boas can be classified as Endangered based solely on total population and subpopulation sizes. Collection data, gathered from the literature and unpublished sources, revealed a decline in one island population (Crawl Cay) that is currently estimated to consist of eight free-ranging individuals. Island populations of Belizean boas warrant immediate conservation priority due to their low reproductive output, small population sizes, and continued demand in the pet trade.

Natural History and Conservation of Island Boas (Boa Constrictor) in Belize

Boa constrictors inhabiting islands off the coast of Belize have been historically collected for the pet trade, and enthusiasts have described these as a dwarfed race. Additionally, it has been suggested that these boas feed on birds, yet no dietary data are available. I initiated a mark-recapture study of five Belizean island populations and have accumulated data on mainland individuals to describe the natural history and population biology of boas in this region. Results indicate that adult island boas from West Snake Cay eat small passerine birds (gray-breasted martins, Progne chalybea) that average 7% of the snake’s mass. Fecal samples from boas on other islands contained bird feathers and, although these feathers were unidentifiable, this indicates that other island boa populations also consume birds. Compared to mainland boas, island boas have significantly smaller litters of smaller neonates (lighter and shorter) and have extraordinarily small population sizes (range 8–88 total individuals). According to IUCN criteria, island boas can be classified as Endangered based solely on total population and subpopulation sizes. Collection data, gathered from the literature and unpublished sources, revealed a decline in one island population (Crawl Cay) that is currently estimated to consist of eight free-ranging individuals. Island populations of Belizean boas warrant immediate conservation priority due to their low reproductive output, small population sizes, and continued demand in the pet trade.

Finds in Belize document Late Classic Maya salt making and canoe transport

How did people in preIndustrial ancient civilizations produce and distribute bulk items, such as salt, needed for everyday use by their large urban populations? This report focuses on the ancient Maya who obtained quantities of salt at cities in the interior of the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala in an area where salt is scarce. I report the discovery of 41 Late Classic Maya saltworks (anno Domini 600-900) in Punta Ycacos Lagoon on the south coast of Belize, including one with the first-known ancient Maya canoe paddle. The discoveries add important empirical information for evaluating the extent of surplus salt production and river transport during the height of Late Classic civilization in the southern Maya lowlands. The discovery of the saltworks indicates that there was extensive production and distribution of goods and resources outside the cities in the interior of the Yucatan. The discovery of a wooden canoe paddle from one of the Punta Ycacos saltworks, Ka'k' Naab', ties the production of salt to its inland transport by rivers and documents the importance of canoe trade between the coast and the interior during the Late Classic. Archaeological discovery of multiple saltworks on the Belizean coast represents surplus production of salt destined largely for the inland Peten Maya during their Late Classic peak, underscoring the importance of non-state-controlled workshop production in preIndustrial societies.

Ecotourism Along the Meso-American Caribbean Reef: The Impacts of Foreign Investment

Ecotourism has been heralded as a potential economic and environmental savior in much of Latin America, though explosive foreign investment in ecotourism ventures raises questions about the validity of ecotourism as a tool of sustainable local development. This paper uses three case studies from coastal Belize and the Bay Islands of Honduras to illustrate the challenges that local communities face when attempting to derive ecotourism benefits. Whether these communities are poised to take advantage of foreign capital is largely dependent on their ability to direct the investment and establish control over their common property resources. This appears to require a marked cultural shift toward planning and politicization.

Marine Reserve Design and Evaluation Using Automated Acoustic Telemetry: A Case-study Involving Coral Reef-associated Sharks in the Mesoamerican Caribbean

A non-overlapping acoustic receiver array was used to track the movements of two common shark species, nurse Ginglymostoma cirratum (n=25) and Caribbean reef Carcharhinus perezi (n=5), in and around Glover's Reef Marine Reserve (GRMR), off the coast of Belize, between May and October, 2004. Although both species exhibited partial site fidelity in that they were most likely to be detected near the area of original capture, both species also moved widely throughout the 10 by 30 km atoll. One Caribbean reef shark was detected by a monitor at Lighthouse Reef, 30 km from Glover's Reef across deep (&gt;400m) open water. The mean minimum linear dispersal (MLD) was 10.5 km for Caribbean reef sharks and 7.7 km for nurse sharks, with many individuals traveling more than the 10 km width of the no-take "conservation zone" of the marine reserve. Although most sharks were tagged within the conservation zone, individuals were detected outside this part of GRMR on average 48 days out of the 150 days of observations. However, of 7 nurse sharks tagged near the center of the conservation zone, 4 were never detected outside of this part of the reserve. In general, this study suggests that effective conservation of these large roving predators requires an ecosystem-based management approach including a zoned management plan, similar to that used at GRMR, in which a fairly large no-take reserve, incorporating diverse habitats and the connections between them, is surrounded by a larger area in which fishing is regulated.

Biochemical and ecological characterization of two peroxidase isoenzymes from the mangrove, Rhizophora mangle

ABSTRACTThis study examines phenolic peroxidase (POX) in Rhizophora mangle L. leaves in order to assess its role in phenolic manipulation and H2O2 scavenging. Sun‐exposed and understorey leaves experiencing varying degrees of nutrient stress were analysed from an oligotrophic cay off the coast of Belize. POX activity was unaffected by growth environment, but increased throughout leaf development and persisted through senescence and after abscission. Histochemical analyses indicated POX activity throughout leaf tissues, especially in the apoplast. Phenolics were similarly broadly distributed. Two isoenzymes of POX were partially characterized with pIs of 4.1 and 6.3 and masses of 65.5 and 54.3 kDa, respectively. The larger, more acidic isoenzyme showed especially high heat stability, showing no reduced activity after 24 h at 60 °C. Rhizophora mangle POX oxidized quercetin preferentially, and, to a lesser extent, coniferyl alcohol, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and p‐coumaric acid. It did not oxidize ascorbate, but ascorbate could act as a secondary electron donor in the presence of a phenolic substrate and H2O2. However, because quercetin and other aglycones were not present in R. mangle leaves, and because POX showed no activity with the most abundant leaf flavonoid, rutin, it was concluded that detoxification of H2O2 is secondary to the other roles of POX in manipulation of phenolics.

Mangrove ecosystem dynamics and elemental cycling at Twin Cays, Belize, during the Holocene

AbstractExisting at the transition between the terrestrial environment and hydrosphere, mangroves are sensitive to environmental change (e.g. sea‐level rise). We present pollen and stable isotope data from a core (TCC1) of continuous (10 m) mangrove peat from Twin Cays, ∼12 km off of the coast of Belize, Central America. Radiocarbon dates on fragments of mangrove leaves preserved in TCC1 show that the core provides an 8600 14C year record of mangrove ecosystem changes. Variation in the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope composition (δ13C = ∼−30 to −25‰; δ15N = ∼−6 to 2‰) of mangrove leaves imply that the stand structure and nutrient status of the mangroves at the site have changed during the Holocene. Pollen data from the same core show that the floral composition of the site has changed at points during the Holocene, most notably a brief (∼240 years) switch at ∼3860 14C yr BP to dominance by a species of Myrsine (not currently present at the site). Our results are consistent with significant environmental changes (either marked disturbance from hurricanes or fluctuations in sea‐level) through the Holocene. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Salt: white gold of the ancient Maya

In this text, Heather McKillop reports the discovery, excavation and interpretation of Late Classic Maya salt works on the coast of Belize, expanding knowledge of the Maya salt trade and craft specialization while providing insights on sea-level rise in the Late Holocene as well.

Ethnicity, Modernity, and Retention in the Garifuna Punta

The Garinagu, commonly known as the Garifuna, are a people of West African and Amerindian descent who live along the Caribbean coast of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua and who share a common language, system of customs and beliefs, series of ancestor veneration rituals, and repertoire of music and dance. The word Garinagu refers to the people as a whole, whereas the term Garifuna refers to the language, the culture, and a person in the singular form.' The emigration of Garinagu during the past five decades has resulted in sizable populations in large urban centers in the United States, namely, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Although hegemony, acculturation, modernity, syncretization, and American popular culture have adversely affected the retention of indiginous Garifuna customs in the United States (especially those related to ancestory veneration), the commodification of Garifuna music, art, and dance has resulted in an increased interest in traditional media of cultural expression. The most celebrated of these media is punta, a dance1. The etymology of the terms Garinagu and Garifuna has been examined in relation to historical and cultural perspectives. From the root word Karina, we have derived Callinago, Garinagu, and Karifouna. Hence, today the Caribs of Dominica refer to themselves as Karifouna, whereas the Black Caribs of Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and Nicaragua have always believed themselves to be Garinagu (the people), speaking Garifuna (the language). The term Black Caribs was first used by European explorers in the seventeenth century (S. Cayetano 1990). In his text on Garifuna ancestor rituals, Byron Foster (1994, 11) states that Garifuna and Garinagu are simply Africanizations of the pronunciation of the Island Carib (the Carib-Arawak people) words karifuna and kalinago. His study dates the AfricanAmerindian encounter around 1635 A.D. and does not take into account any pre-Columbian

Helminth parasites in six species of shorebirds (Charadrii) from the coast of Belize.

Thirteen species of helminth parasites were recovered from six species of charadriid shorebirds (Aves: Charadriiformes) from Belize: the ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres, the snowy plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, the semipalmated plover, C. semipalmatus, the killdeer, C. vociferus, the white-rumped sandpiper, Calidris fuscicollis, and the black-bellied plover, Pluvialis squatarola. Cestode species were predominant (N = 8), followed by trematode species (N = 3) and acanthocephala (N = 2). The trematode, Paramaritremopsis solielangi infected four of the six species of hosts. The cestodes, Nadejdolepis litoralis and N. paranitidulans infected three and two host species respectively. Helminth parasite species were contagious (clumped) and not evenly distributed among hosts. Twelve of the 13 species were generalists. The one specialist Microphallus kinsellae was recovered from one C. fuscicollis. Three of the four types of feeding guilds were present and in approximately the same number. All but M. kinsellae have been reported from other species of hosts, mostly from Eurasia and North America.

Nesting Ecology of the American Crocodile in the Coastal Zone of Belize

Abstract We conducted a study of American Crocodile nesting ecology in coastal Belize from June 1996 to July 1997. Most nesting areas were found on elevated beach ridges composed of coarse sand. Shallow, brackish lagoons adjacent to nesting areas provide critical nursery habitat for hatchlings. The most significant nesting areas were found in the Turneffe Atoll. American crocodiles construct both hole and mound nests in Belize. Clutches are deposited during the last half of the dry season, from late March to early May. Mean clutch size is 22.3 ± 6.0 eggs. Hatching occurred from late June to mid-July, a period coinciding with the beginning of the wet season. Nesting success was high, and losses to predation and flooding were negligible. Females may defend nests from predators and excavate neonates at hatching, but otherwise parental care appears minimal. The protection of suitable nesting and nursery habitat is essential for the continued survival of the American crocodile in Belize.

An ecological shift in a remote coral atoll of Belize over 25 years

Many coral reefs in the Caribbean, and elsewhere, have undergone changes from hard coral to fleshy algal dominance over the past two decades which has often been interpreted as a localized response to eutrophication and fishing. Here, data on the abundance of hard corals and algae from lagoonal patch reefs distributed throughout a large (260 km2) remote reef atoll located approximately 30 km offshore from the sparsely-populated coast of Belize, Central America, are compared with a study of these patch reefs conducted 25 years previously. Data and observations indicate that these patch reefs have undergone a major change in their ecology associated with a 75% reduction in total hard coral, a 99% loss in the cover of Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata, and a 315% increase in algae, which are mostly erect brown algae species in the genera Lobophora, Dictyota, Turbinaria and Sargassum. Such changes have been reported from other Caribbean reefs during the 1980s, but not on such a remote reef and the present changes may be attributed primarily to both a disease that began killing Acropora in this region in the mid 1980s and a reduction in herbivory. The low level of herbivory may be attributable to the disease-induced loss of the sea urchin Diadema antillarum in 1983, or fishing of herbivorous fishes, but both explanations are speculative. The present density of fisherfolk is low, and their efforts are not targetted at herbivorous fishes, and population densities of D. antillarum 14 years after the mortality are &lt;1 individual per 1000 m2, but there is no comparative data from before the die off. There is, however, no indication that these major changes occurred on the fore reef, because A. palmata is abundant and erect algal abundance is low. We suggest that reported changes in other Caribbean reefs are not necessarily or exclusively influenced by local human factors such as localized intense eutrophication or fishing.

Energetic costs of swarming behavior for the copepod Dioithona oculata

The cyclopoid copepod Dioithona oculata forms dense swarms within shafts of sunlight that penetrate the mangrove prop-root habitat of islands off the coast of Belize. Previous studies, based on in situ video recordings and laboratory studies, have shown that D. oculata is capable of maintaining fixed-position swarms in spite of currents of up to 2 cm s−1. The purpose of this study was to examine the energetic costs of maintaining these swarms, in terms of increased metabolic costs of maintaining position in currents and in terms of reduced feeding rates in densely packed swarms during the day. Using a sealed, variable-speed flow-through chamber, the respiration rates of D. oculata were measured while swarms maintained position in different current speeds. The results indicate that active metabolism (swimming at maximum speed to maintain the swarm in a current) is approximately three times greater than routine metabolism (normal swimming speeds in the absence of currents), indicating a significant metabolic cost of maintaining swarms in the presence of currents. In addition, gut-pigment analysis indicated that feeding rates of these copepods were often reduced in swarms during the day compared to when the copepods were dispersed at night. Given the high “cost” of swarming, the adaptive value of swarming in terms of reduced predation, increased opportunities for mating, and reduced dispersal, must be substantial.

The "Dugu" Ritual of the Garinagu of Belize: Reinforcing Values of Society Through Music and Spirit Possession

This article examines the relationship between music and the spirit realm of the Garinagu (people of African and Amerindian descent) of Belize as displayed in adugurahani (Feasting the Dead), a three- or four-day ritual to appease neglected ancestor spirits (Cayetano and Cayetano 1990, 78). This ritual is commonly known as dugu. This examination of dugu is based on the hypothesis music is a mediating agent connects people and their ancestors for the purpose of maintaining family solidarity and reinforcing traditional norms and values of society. The objective here is to show how spirit possession and music are used to reinforce social values during an ancestor placation ritual. Language,(1) music, and spirituality in ritual expression are essential components of culture and society. The maintenance and retention of these components affect processes of enculturation and preservation of social values. Ritual participants believe without singing, drumming, and rattling, dugu--the most salient ancestor propitiation rite of the Garinagu--could not be performed. Furthermore, they believe without the ritual, the culture--as it is known today--would cease to exist. To better understand and interpret how music and ancestor spirit possession in this rite reinforce social values, concepts concerning the reorientation of time, cultural relativism, and consanguineous descent are discussed. Western philosophies such as hermeneutics (the science of interpretation) and phenomenology (the descriptive philosophy of experience) are particularly applicable to this study. Steven Friedson (1996, 2) stated phenomenology ... requires a reflexive engagement with the things themselves [the music and its practitioners] and suggested dialectics--interactions and transactions between the researcher and researched--is of significance in doing ethnology. Reflexivity and dialectics were important to the collection and interpretation of data concerning dugu. Data for the study are based in part on fieldwork conducted during the summer of 1996 in Dangriga, Belize. Because of the personal nature of the subject matter (ancestor spirit possession in the context of family gatherings), pseudonyms are used to protect the anonymity of most informants.(2) Garifuna History and Ancestor Ritual Practices The Garinagu (commonly known as the Garifuna) are people of Amerindian and West African descent who live along the coasts of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua and share a common origin, language, music, and system of ancestor placation. They are the product of genetic mixture and cultural syncretization between Amerindians (the Carib, Arawak, and Taino peoples) on the island of St. Vincent in the Lesser Antilles and West Africans (believed to be of Yoruba, Ibo, and Ashanti descent) who were brought to the New World to be enslaved in 1635 (Cayetano 1990b, 32).(3) Scholars also suggest the Garinagu on St. Vincent were frequently augmented by runaway slaves from nearby islands from ethnic groups include the Efik and Yoruba (Coelho 1955, 6-8) and the Ashanti-Fanti, the Fon, and the Congo (Bastide 1971, 77). In 1796, the Garinagu were defeated in battle by the British and the following year deported to Roatan Island near the coast of Honduras. Beginning in 1802, Garinagu in Honduras made numerous landings on the coast of Belize (Cayetano 1990b, 43). On November 19, 1832, following massacres and civil unrest in Honduras, a large number of Garinagu landed in what is now Dangriga, Belize. Today, November 19 is recognized annually as Garifuna Settlement Day and is celebrated as a national holiday. Adugurahani, commonly known as dugu, is a ritual for the extended family consists of both the living and the spirits of their deceased relatives. It is based in part on the Island Carib belief that departed relations [ancestors] were secret spectators of their [the Island Carib's] conduct; they still sympathized in their sufferings, and participated in their welfare (Bryan Edwards quoted in Kerns 1983, 31). …

Holocene cemented beach deposits in Belize

Two types of cemented beach deposits occur on reef islands off the coast of Belize. These are (1) intertidal beachrock that is dominantly cemented by marine aragonite and high-magnesium-calcite cements, and (2) supratidal cayrock that is cemented mainly by vadose low-magnesium-calcite cements. Besides differences in position relative to present sea level and resulting early diagenesic features, beachrock and cayrock can be distinguished on the basis of differences in composition, texture, geographical position, and age. Whereas the composition of beachrock is similar to that of the adjacent marginal reef sediments, cayrock is enriched in benthic foraminifera. Intertidal beachrock is moderately to well sorted and well cemented, while supratidal cayrock is very well sorted, poorly cemented and friable. Beachrock occurs preferentially on windward beaches of sand-shingle Gays on the middle and southern barrier reefs and on the isolated platforms Glovers and Lighthouse Reefs. Cayrock only occurs on larger mangrove-sand Gays of the isolated platforms Turneffe Islands, Lighthouse Reef, and the northern barrier reef. 14C-dating of ten whole-rock and mollusk shell samples produced calibrated dates between AD 345 and AD 1435 for beachrock and between BC 1085 and AD 1190 for cayrock. The large-scale distribution of beachrock in Belize supports the contention that physical processes such as water agitation rather than biological processes control beachrock formation and distribution. Only on windward sides of cays that are close to the reef crest, where large amounts of seawater flush the beaches, considerable amounts of cements can be precipitated to produce beachrock. Cayrock forms due to cementation in the vadose zone and is only preserved on larger, stable mangrove-sand cays.

Divergent Wrench Faulting in the Belize Southern Lagoon: Implications for Tertiary Caribbean Plate Movements and Quaternary Reef Distribution: Discussion

Analysis of 500 km of multichannel seismic reflection data in the Southern Lagoon of Belize reveals that its Tertiary structural evolution has been punctuated by two major transtensional episodes. First, left-lateral strike-slip motion parallel to the coast, together with a major component of extension, took place during the Paleocene, producing a series of southwest-northeast-trending en echelon normal faults, which created a topographic relief of ridges and troughs. Both the types of structures and their timing of formation are consistent with models that propose that Cuba swept past the eastern coast of Belize and the adjacent Yucatan peninsula, moving along a left-lateral transform boundary, until it collided with the Bahamas platform. The second tectonic event occurred during the Pliocene and/or later, revealing very recent activity along the North American-Caribbean left-lateral transform boundary. High-angle normal faults with a southwest-northeast orientation dominate the style. A comparison between the deep structure and the present bathymetry of the lagoon reveals that portions of the barrier platform and elongate to rhombohedral platform atolls, such as Laughing Bird Cay, are located over ancient structural highs, whereas bathymetric lows, such as the Victoria Channel, are long-lived troughs. This suggests that Quaternary reef foundations are deeper than previously thought, and that structure exercised a major control on sedimentation throughout the Tertiary evolution of the Southern Lagoon.