Geology of the Collectivity of Saint Martin

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The geology of the Collectivity of Saint Martin consists of andesite tuff and tuff breccia from the middle and late Eocene, intruded by hypabyssal basalt, quartz diorite and younger andesite. Volcanic activity led to metamorphism of many rocks and the tilting and folding of the tuff series. Limestone and marl was later unconformably deposited atop the eroded volcanic rocks as volcanic activity shifted elsewhere. [1] Large boulder ridges and solitary boulders on high cliffs suggest tectonic-related tsunamis. [2]

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The geology of Sint Maarten consists of andesite tuff and tuff breccia from the middle and late Eocene, intruded by hypabyssal basalt, quartz diorite and younger andesite. Volcanic activity led to metamorphism of many rocks and the tilting and folding of the tuff series. Limestone and marl was later unconformably deposited atop the eroded volcanic rocks as volcanic activity shifted elsewhere.

The geology of Saint Barthélemy consists of andesite tuff and tuff breccia from the middle and late Eocene, intruded by hypabyssal basalt, quartz diorite and younger andesite. Volcanic activity on neighboring Saint Martin led to metamorphism of many rocks and the tilting and folding of the tuff series. Limestone and marl was later unconformably deposited atop the eroded volcanic rocks as volcanic activity shifted elsewhere.

The geology of Guatemala encompasses rocks divided into two tectonic blocks. The Maya Block in the north has igneous and metamorphic North American Craton basement rocks, overlain by late Paleozoic metasedimentary rocks, which experienced deformation during the Devonian. Red beds, evaporites and marine limestone from the Mesozoic overlie these rocks. A karst landscape formed in the thick limestone units across the north of the country. During a collisional orogeny, these Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks were uplifted, thrust and folded as the Central Guatemalan Cordillera. Paleogene rocks from the early Cenozoic include volcanic and marine clastic rocks, associated with high rates of erosion.

References

  1. Christman, Robert A. (January 1953). "Geology of St. Bartholomew, St. Martin, and Anguilla, Lesser Antilles". GSA Bulletin. 64 (1): 65–96. Bibcode:1953GSAB...64...85C. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1953)64[85:GOSBSM]2.0.CO;2 . Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  2. Scheffers, Anja; Kelletat, Dieter (2006). "New Evidence and Datings of Holocene Paleo-Tsunami Events in the Caribbean (Barbados, St. Martin and Anguilla)". Caribbean Tsunami Hazard. pp. 178–202. doi:10.1142/9789812774613_0008. ISBN   978-981-256-535-8.