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The Oligocene-Miocene transition on Caribbean coral reefs

The Caribbean Basin contains several time intervals of accelerated change during the past 30 million years which can be used as case studies to understand how reef biotas respond to environmental changes on a regional scale.

Project results:

We have analysed large collections of fossil corals using an up-to-date taxonomic framework and with newly-interpreted stratigraphy. Our analysis indicates that:

  • Extensive development of Caribbean coral reef ecosystems after the Eocene was limited to 2 intervals of the Cenozoic:
    • Late Oligocene
    • Quaternary
  • These episodes of large-scale reef construction were interrupted by a long interval without major constructional reef build-ups.
Palaeontology Department staff involved in this project:
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