Figure 4.3: The first image above is a sea-cave formed on the island of Curacao which is located in the southern Caribbean. In the photo, waves push through the cave formed in the Pleistocene aged limestones that run the entire margin of the island. These limestones are composed of massive colonies of corals that are in place (photo on the right). The cave formed after the limestone reef became emergent above sea-level as acidic groundwater dissolved larger and large pathways as the water moved to the sea. Today, the cave is flooded by sea water. Collectively, these observations indicate a complex history of sea level change impacting the island over the last few million years. First, the reef was growing under the sea, then the reef became exposed so that freshwater could form the cave, and, now, sea level is once again rising to a point where the cave is being flooded by seawater.
Originally uploaded in Integrate:Teaching for Sustainability:InTeGrate Modules:Coastal Processes, Hazards and Society:Student Materials.
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Sep7 16
