Stratigraphy and depositional setting, Kingshill limestone, Miocene, St Croix, US Virgin Islands
Gerhard LC, Frost SH, Curth PJ. 1978. Stratigraphy and depositional setting, Kingshill limestone, Miocene, St Croix, US Virgin Islands. AAPG Bulletin. 62(3):403-418
Report on the geology of St. Croix (makes no specific mention of Buck Island). Information on the formation of the island, stratigraphy, rock units and rock types, possibility of petroleum deposits. Includes geology maps.The Kingshill Limestone of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, was deposited during a transgressive-regressive cycle of the early and middle Miocene. Depositional bathymetry ranged from shallow lagoon and patch-reef environments to basin slopes, probably representing strand line to water about 500 m deep. Younger facies reflect a shoaling to probable subaerial exposure. Depositional processes included turbidity current movement of shallow-water sediments and benthic organisms into deep water, especially along the eastern margin of the depositional basin. Current indicators suggest that transport was largely toward the southwest or west. Sedimentation took place in a partly downfaulted basin that resulted from early Cenozoic vertical structural movements in the Caribbean. The basin now is the low-lying central plain of the otherwise mountainous island. Although the Kingshill has not been demonstrated to contain hydrocarbons, a relatively complete, albeit restored, stratigraphic section may aid in defining potential exploration targets in nearby areas of the Caribbean.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Gerhard, Lee; Frost, Stanley; Curth, Patrick
- Units
- BUIS , VIIS
- Keywords
- Caribbean, Geology, Geomorphology, Kingshill, Limestone, Map, Mlocene, Physical Sciences, Stratigraphy