Discover the Greater Antilles and Explore the Fossils & Geodiversity of the Caribbean
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The Greater Antilles including Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico form the Caribbean’s largest and most geologically diverse island arc, preserving over 140 million years of tectonic, volcanic, and sedimentary history. Positioned along the active boundary of the Caribbean and North American plates, these islands record subduction, strike-slip faulting, crustal uplift, and marine sedimentation. Exposed ophiolite complexes, rudist reef limestones, and fossil-rich cave deposits showcase the region’s deep-ocean crust, ancient tropical seas, and unique vertebrate fauna, including extinct ground sloths and endemic mammals. Highlights such as Jamaica’s UNESCO-recognised Cockpit Country, Dominican Amber, and Puerto Rico’s Northern Karst Belt illustrates how plate tectonics, karst formation, and palaeobiology combine to offer the visitor a living laboratory of Caribbean Earth history.
The Greater Antilles of Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico represent the most geologically complex island arc system in the Caribbean, preserving more than 140 million years of tectonic, volcanic, and sedimentary history. Situated along the active boundary between the Caribbean Plate and the North American Plate, these islands have been shaped by subduction, strike-slip faulting, crustal compression, and long-term uplift, producing a striking mosaic of volcanic arcs, accreted oceanic crust, carbonate platforms, and major fault zones.
The Greater Antilles story begins in the Jurassic, when the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea opened the proto-Caribbean Ocean. As the Caribbean Plate migrated eastward, chains of volcanic islands formed and later collided with the continental margin, welding fragments of ancient seafloor onto the growing islands. In Cuba and Hispaniola, exposed ophiolite complexes including serpentinised mantle rocks, gabbros, and pillow basalts of deep-ocean crust now lifted high above sea level.
During the Cretaceous, warm tropical seas dominated much of the region, allowing thick carbonate platforms and reef limestones to accumulate. Rudist bivalves such as Titanosarcolites giganteus built extensive reef systems that thrived until the end-Cretaceous mass extinction reshaped marine ecosystems.
Across the islands, fossil sites range from Miocene marine deposits with giant shark teeth to cave sediments preserving extinct ground sloths, endemic mammals and reptiles. While dinosaurs are absent due to predominantly marine conditions, abundant corals, molluscs, and microfossils record vibrant ancient oceans across the islands.
In the past 23 million years, tectonic uplift raised former reefs into dramatic coastal terraces, especially in Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, where stair-stepped limestone platforms preserve a record of sea-level fluctuations linked to global climate cycles. Active fault systems continue to release strain, underscoring the region’s ongoing seismic activity.
Explore the Fossils and Geodiversity of the Cayman Islands
Rising from the western Caribbean Sea, the Cayman Islands form a geologically extraordinary archipelago shaped by active plate tectonics, reef growth, and dramatic sea-level change. Comprising Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, the islands sit along a major strike-slip boundary where uplifted coral platforms have become limestone cliffs, fossil terraces, and karst cave systems. These islands are the exposed peaks of the vast Cayman Ridge, bordering the deep Cayman Trough, which records intense tectonic activity and long-term reef development. Pleistocene formations such as the Ironshore Limestone preserve detailed archives of ancient shorelines, coral ecosystems, and sea-level fluctuations spanning hundreds of thousands of years. Beneath the surface, caves and sinkholes shelter remarkable fossil remains of extinct mammals and crocodiles, revealing isolated tropical ecosystems that evolved after the islands emerged above sea level.
Explore the Fossils and Geodiversity of Cuba
Rising from the heart of the Caribbean, Cuba is a remarkable geological archive recording more than 200 million years of Earth history, where tectonics, climate change, and biological evolution converge. Positioned between the North American and Caribbean plates, the island preserves ancient Jurassic carbonate platforms, Cretaceous volcanic arcs, extensive ophiolite belts, and high-pressure metamorphic rocks that reveal past subduction and continental collision. Western Cuba’s limestone landscapes, including the iconic karst towers of the Viñales Valley, formed through long-term reef growth, burial, and tropical weathering, while central and eastern regions expose volcanic and oceanic crust remnants uplifted during plate convergence. Cuba’s fossil record is equally rich, from Jurassic ammonites and Cretaceous reef-building rudists to exceptional Ice Age cave faunas that include giant ground sloths, endemic birds, and tar pit deposits.
Explore the Fossils and Geodiversity of the Dominican Republic
Located on the eastern portion of Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic is one of the Caribbean’s most geologically diverse regions, shaped by over 150 million years of plate tectonics, volcanism, marine sedimentation, and tropical erosion. Its mountainous core, dominated by the Cordillera Central and crowned by Pico Duarte, exposes uplifted oceanic crust and ancient volcanic island arcs that reveal the collision of the Caribbean and North American plates. Surrounding carbonate platforms preserve Late Cretaceous coral and rudist reefs, while dramatic karst landscapes such as Los Haitises National Park showcase caves, cone-shaped hills, and fossil-rich sediments. World-famous Dominican amber captures Miocene rainforest ecosystems in exceptional detail, offering insights into ancient biodiversity.
Explore the Fossils and Geodiversity of Haiti
Occupying the western third of Hispaniola, Haiti is one of the most geologically dynamic landscapes in the Greater Antilles, shaped by over 150 million years of plate tectonics, tropical sedimentation, uplift, and erosion. Towering mountain belts such as the Massif de la Selle expose fragments of ancient oceanic crust, while extensive limestone plateaus record Late Cretaceous coral and rudist reef systems formed in warm shallow seas. Haiti lies along an active transform boundary between the Caribbean and North American plates, dominated by the Enriquillo–Plantain Garden Fault Zone, which drives frequent earthquakes and ongoing mountain building. Karst landscapes filled with caves preserve Ice Age fossils of extinct sloths, monkeys, bats, and giant tortoises, revealing dramatic Late Quaternary extinctions linked to climate change and human arrival.
Explore the Fossils and Geodiversity of Hispaniola
Hispaniola, shared by Dominican Republic and Haiti, is one of the Caribbean’s most geologically complex and scenic islands, shaped by over 150 million years of plate tectonics, mountain building, and tropical sedimentation. Its rugged backbone, the Cordillera Central, rises to Pico Duarte, while fertile valleys, waterfalls, coral-fringed beaches, and karst cave systems define the surrounding landscapes. Ancient oceanic crust and fossil-rich limestones record submerged volcanic arcs and Cretaceous reef seas, later uplifted into today’s dramatic terrain. Tropical weathering sculpted vast cave networks, most strikingly in Los Haitises National Park, preserving fossils and archaeological remains. Neogene uplift also produced world-famous Dominican amber, capturing ancient rainforest ecosystems in remarkable detail.
Explore the Fossils and Geodiversity of Jamaica
Jamaica sits at a dynamic tectonic crossroads between the Caribbean Plate and the North American Plate, preserving over 140 million years of geological history within a compact tropical landscape. Rising from the Nicaraguan Rise and bordered by the deep Cayman Trough, the island records ancient oceanic crust, volcanic island arcs, and vast limestone platforms formed in warm Cenozoic seas. These carbonate rocks now dominate Jamaica’s topography, sculpted by tropical weathering into dramatic karst terrain. Nowhere is this more striking than the Cockpit Country Protected Area, a UNESCO-recognised cone karst region of sinkholes, caves, and wet limestone forests that supports exceptional biodiversity and vital freshwater systems. Beneath the limestone blanket, exposed inliers reveal submarine lavas and fossil-rich marine sediments, including spectacular Cretaceous rudist reef systems.
Explore the Fossils and Geodiversity of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico sits at the northeastern edge of the Caribbean Plate along an active boundary with the North American Plate, preserving over 135 million years of geological history within a compact island arc. Its rugged interior is dominated by the Cordillera Central, a volcanic and plutonic backbone formed by Cretaceous island-arc processes and later tectonic uplift. North of the mountains, the Northern Karst Belt showcases dramatic mogotes, caves, sinkholes, and fossil-rich Miocene limestones that record ancient tropical seas, including marine life and Megalodon sharks. Offshore, the Puerto Rico Trench marks Atlantic subduction and drives ongoing seismic activity.
