Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac are, in reality, the summits of independent fault blocks that rise from the depths of the Caribbean Sea. This book traces the geological evolution of these islands over the last 30 to 35 million years. The balance between deposition of carbonate sediments and karst development of the exposed land was dictated by the interaction between ever-changing sea levels and vertical tectonic movement of the fault blocks. Today, drinking water needed for the ever-increasing populations of the islands is supplied largely by desalinization plants that are located in accord with a detailed knowledge of the bedrock.This book is based on an extensive data base that has been assembled over the last 40 years of field work and laboratory analyses. Noteworthy aspects of this database include: weiterlesen