| Abstract: | Exhumed early Pleistocene reefs along the eastern coast of Jamaica expose deep-water environments downslope from the more familiar, shallow-water reef frameworks. Such environments have quite different faunas from the shallow parts of the reefs, including common 'Palaeozoic-type' biotas like the brachiopods and crinoids. These animals are found in deeper-water settings around the Caribbean today; however, these biotas are not readily available nor easily studied. The slightly older Pleistocene faunas are much more accessible and informative. Here the past may be the key to the present. |
