NOTES ON THE GEOLOGY OF THE BAHAMAS 1 



John I. Northrop 



(Abstract) 



By far the greater number of the islands known as the Bahamas 

 are situated on the Great and the Little Bahama Banks. The former 

 occupies a large area southeast of Florida and north of Cuba, and is 

 penetrated in the northern part in a remarkable manner by a tongue 

 of the ocean in which the water is over seven hundred fathoms in 

 depth. Little Bahama Bank lies north of the Great one and is much 

 smaller. 



The islands lie, almost without exception, on the northern and 

 eastern edges of the banks, the main exception being the island of 

 Great Bahama, which is situated on the southern edge of Little Bahama 

 Bank. Southeast of the Great Bank is a small one, on which are 

 Crooked and Acklin islands, the former on the northern, the latter on 

 the eastern edge. 



The Caicos Bank lies still farther southeast and contains on its 

 northern border a number of small islands. The rest of the group — 

 viz. the islands of San Salvador, Rum Cay, Atwood's Cay, Mariguana, 

 and Little and Great Inagua — are differently situated from those pre- 

 viously mentioned, rising almost abruptly from the deep ocean. 



The time spent in the Bahamas was a little more than six months, 

 two of which were passed in New Providence and the rest in Andros. 

 The former is well known as the seat of government and as a health 

 resort. It lies on the northern edge of a portion of the Great Bahama 

 Bank, and is about twenty miles long and seven in width. A ridge 

 runs along the northern side, the highest point of which is 109 feet 

 above sea-level, and is occupied by an old fort — Fort Fincastle. Here 

 a fine view of the general features of the island may be obtained. To 

 the south stretches a low level country dotted here and there with 



1 Trans. N. Y. Acad. Sciences, October 13, 1890, pp. 4-22. 

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