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eastern Pacific would enhance the understanding of the early
evolution of the Caribbean Plate. The subducted section of the
Cretaceous arc in eastern Cuba (Purial complex) also offers the
opportunity to inspect forearc crustal structure. On the other
hand, the well-exposed Cuban Paleogene magmatic arc and its
prolongation into Hispaniola require detailed studies in order to
improve models for the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of northern
CARIB margin. These arc rocks are associated with unusual and
poorly understood subhorizontal emplacement of ophiolite thrust
sheets and high-P metamorphism of Cretaceous arc suites in
eastern Cuba.
Collision Tectonics
Evidence of NOAM-CARIB collision is well preserved in the
rocks of Cuba, and the sequence of plate reorganization events
that followed this is mostly understood. The rapidity of the plate
reorganization by forming the transform margin south of Cuba
arrested collisional deformation at an early stage; this may be the
best example of a “soft collision” available for study anywhere in
the world. The range of deformation styles and sedimentary
responses that occurred during the early stages of collision are
well preserved and available for study.
CONCLUSIONS
In addition to the topics discussed here, Cuban geodiversity
embraces natural resources, such as oil and gas, mineral and
groundwaters, ore and industrial minerals, marbles and construc-
tion materials, and beautiful landscapes, including karst,
wetlands, and coral reefs. The fact that we do not have space here
to review these important features does not diminish their impor-
tance. Further reconstructing of the details of the older geologic
framework, exploiting the economic potential, understanding the
geomorphic evolution, and preserving the geobiological features
are challenges and opportunities for the collective geoscientific
community. We hope in the future to see more U.S.-Cuban
collaborative studies of Cuban geology and NW Caribbean
tectonic evolution.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank G. Draper and J. Pindell for constructive and insightful
reviews and GSA Today science editor Gerald Dickens for encour-
aging this submission.
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