Sedimentology and stratigraphy of the Pedro Castle Formation southwest Grand Cayman, British West Indies

The Pliocene Pedro Castle Formation on the southwest corner of Grand Cayman is composed of the (1) rhodolith Amphistegina Trachyphyllia facies, (2) Amphistegina rhodolith facies, (3) foram Halimeda rhodolith facies, (4) rhodolith, free living and branching coral Amphistegina facies, (5)  Stylophora Halimeda Amphistegina facies, (6) Halimeda Amphistegina facies, and (7) rhodolith coralline red algae facies. The vertical succession of these facies are indicative of a transgressive succession. The development of this succession was influenced by antecedent topography, substrate type, water energy, and water depth. It appears that influences on sedimentation evolved as sea level gradually rose during the Pliocene. The timing of sedimentation for the Pedro Castle Formation is inconclusive due to the problematic correlation of this transgressive event to established sea level curves. A Pliocene Sea level of 30–35 m asl is similar to that seen in the Caribbean and globally.