Generation of brachiopod-dominated shell beds in the Miocene rocks of Carriacou, Lesser Antilles

Abstract

Brachiopod-dominated shell concentrations occur within the turbiditic rocks of the Miocene Grand Bay Formation on the Antillean island of Carriacou. The shells, mainly Tichosina, form dispersed and loose accumulations. Exceptional conditions on the deep-water flanks of submarine volcanic edifices encouraged the recruitment of large populations of Tichosina and the subsequent entrainment of the shells in gravity-driven deposits. The shells are a rare example, in the Caribbean Basin, of transported Archaic-type shell beds constructed by a taxonomic group more typical of the Palaeozoic fauna. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.