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Coastal Geology of Puerto Rico

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Coastal Geology of Puerto Rico Coastal Geology of Puerto Rico By CLIFFORD A. KAYE G E 0 L 0 G I CAL S U R·V E Y P R 0 F·E S S I 0 N A L PAPER 3 1 7 Prepared in cooperation with the Puerto Rico lf'"ater Resources Authority, Puerto Rico Economic I Development .Administration, Puerto Rico Aque- duct and Sewer Authority, and Puerto Rico Department of the Interior. .· UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1959 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR .FRED A. SEATON~ ·secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B.· Nolan, Director The U.S. Geological Survey Library has' cataloged this publication as follows: Kaye, Clifford Alan, 191~ Coastal geology of Puerto Rico. Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1959. iv, 178 p. illus., maps (1 col.) diagrs., tables. 30 em. (U.S. Geological Survey. Professional paper 317) Part of illustrative matter folded in pocket. Prepared in cooperation with the Puerto Rico Water Resources Authority, Puerto Rico Economic Development Administration, Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, and Puerto Rico Dept. of the Interior. Includes bibliographies. (Continued on next card) G S 59-198 Kaye, Clifford Alan, 1916- Coastal geology of Puerto Ri'co. 1959. .(Card 2) CoNTENTs.-Geology of the San Juan metropolitan area.-Shoreline features and Quaternary shoreline changes.-Geology of Isla Mona and notes on age of Mona Passage. With a section on The petrography of the phosphorites, by Zalman S. Altschuler. 1. Geology-Puerto Rico. 2. Coasts-Puerto Rico. 1. Title. (Series) [QE75.P9 no. 317] G S 59-198 CONTENTS (The letters ln parentheses preceding the titles designate separately published chapters) Page Preface.---------------------------------------------------------------------~-------------------------------- iii (A) Geology of the San Juan metropolitan area ____ ~ __________________ ·____ --_--- __ --- __ ----_--------- --- - -- ~------ 1 (B) Shoreline features and Quaternary shoreline chan.ges _________ ~ _________________________ - __ ----_------ ---__ ------ 49 (C) Geology of Isla Mona and notes on age of Mona Passage------------------------------------------------------- 141 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates 1, 2, and lG-12 are in pocket] Page PLATE 1. Map of Puerto Rico and neighboring islands. 2. Geologic map of the San Juan area. 3. A, View south along Rio Piedras-La Muda highway; B, Large contorted shale block in lapilli tuff of the Frailes formation. ______________________________________________________________________________ --____ Facing 14 4. A, Banded rhyolitic vitrophyre from breccia in the Frailes formation; B, Vitrophyre from the Figu~ra volcanics •••• --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Facing 15 5. A, Drumstick dike in thin-bedded ashy siltstone; B, Drumstick dike in actinolitic meta-andesite._-- __ ---____ Facing 30 6. A, Irregular-shaped replacement of thin-bedded ashy siltstone by andesite porphyry; B, Metagraywacke.- ___ - Facing 31 7. A, Guaynabo fault scarp; B, Small, plunging anticline in ashy siltstone of the Fajardo formation ____ --._-- Facing 38 8. Gentle folding in ashy siltstone of the Fajardo formation _____________________________ ~ _____________ Following 38 9. A, Small fault in the graywacke and shale of the Guaynabo formation; B., Small normal fault in variegated sands and marls of the Aguada formation __ -. __________________________ "'"_________________________________ Facing 39 10. Chart showing shallow bank off eastern Puerto Rico and La Cordillera reefs. · 11. Composite cross sections of some north-.coast Quaternary localities. 12. Geologic map of Isla Mona. · 13. A, Vertical sea cliffs, east coast of Isla Mona; B, Cemented red residuum in Lirio limestone. _______ -_-_-- ___ Facing 146 14. A, Enlarged cavern mouths, Playa Pajaro; B, View to southwest from Punta Este, Isla. Mona .. ______________ Facing 147 FIGURE 1. Map of the Greater Antilles--------------------------------------------------------------------·------- v 2. Index map of Puerto Rico, showing the San Juan ·area_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ 4 3. Stratigraphic nomenclature of the older complex in the San Juan area. ___________________________ --- ____ -__ 9 4. Schematic reconstruction of depositional relations of the older complex in the SanJuan area.____________________ 10 5. Major known ~nd inferred faults in the older c_omplex in the San Juan area.________________________________ 39 6. Puerto Rican shoreline types ____________ .:. _________ ..:___________________________________________________ 52 7. Easterly coastal currents on the north coast.-------------------------------~---------------------------- 55 8. Principal oceanic currents of Puerto Rico. __________________________________ ~·- _________ ,..________________ 56 9. Natural groin, demonstrating northerly drift of sa~d by longshore currents on the east coast------------------- 57 10. Map showing location of sea-temperature and salinity measurement stations________________________________ 58 11. Northeast trade winds near Punta ManatL __________________ ..: ______________________ ... __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ 59 12. Wind and swell diagrams from northern Puerto Rico__ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ ____ 60 13. A northwest wave-train at Cayo Icacos __ ----- ___________ ---- ____ ---- _________________________ --- ____ --- 61 14. Observations of currents in a lunate bay on the north coast·----------------------------------------------- 63 15. Wave pattern, lunate shorelines, and coral reefs at Punta La Bandera._____________________________________ 64 16. Dissected eolianite ridge north of Manatr, showing development of lunate shoreline__________________________ 65 17. Dissected eolianite ridge at Punta Puerto Nuevo, showing development of straight shoreline_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ___ 66 18. Coastal geology north of ManatL_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ ___ 67 19. Lunate resonating basin at Punta Tortuguero·---------------------------------------------------------- 67 20. Cross section of beach with partly exposed beachrock pavement------------------------------------------- 68 21. Very wide beachrock pavement at Punta Puerto Nuevo, showing typical steplike form and curvature with the shore---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 68 22. Slab of beachrock pavement east of Punta Fraile, completely undermined, showing typical wedge-shaped cross section·------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 69 23. Petrographic section of beachrock at Santa Teresita, San Juan·--------------------·----------------------- 70 24. Very much eroded beachrock pavement at San Juan------------------------------.----------------------- 71 m IV CONTENTS !Page 25. Collapsing beachrock pavement _________________________________________________________ - ___ - - - - - __ ---_ 72 26. Distribution of beachrock, coral reefs, and limestone.---------------------------------------------------- 74 27. Distribution of cemented sand dunes ________________________________________________________________ --- 81 28. Dome, arch, or anticlinal structure in eolianite _______________________________________________________ - --- 82 29. Typical intense pitting of eolianite in the spray zone.------------------------.,..--------------------------- 84 30. Flat-floored pits in eolianite __ ------ ____ ---- _____ ---------_______ ----______ ------ __ ------___________ --- 86 31. Flat-floored pits in eolianite ________________________________________________________________________ --- 84 32. Development of round-bottomed and fiat-floored pits.-~----- __________ ------·-- _____ ------------ _______ --- 87 33. Cylindrical pit _____ ,.__ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ 88 34. Pitting by the sea urchin Echinometra lacunter on the surface of a tidal terrace ___________________________ --- 89 35. Tidal terrace in eolianite, east of Arecibo·--------------------------------------------.:.----------------- 90 36. Tidal terrace on ocean side of eolianite ridge at low tide-------------------------------------------------- 91 37. Pleistocene roof rock entirely base leveled to tidal terraces _____________ :___________________________________ 91 38. Tidal terrace originating as the base level of pitting------------------------------------------------------ 92 39. Development of pit rims into step risers on the tidal terrace surface _____________________________________ --- 92 40. Nip on lagoonal side of eolianite ridge on north coast __________ .:.__________________________________________ 93 41. Eolianite shore types_________________________________________________________________________________ 94 42. Large block of eolianite, torn from ridge and tossed into position by storm waves _________________________ --- 95 43. Partly destroyed and eviscerated eolianite ridge ____ ..., __________________________________________________ --- 96 44. Oolite from Cayo Icacos _______________________________________________ _ ..: ________ ..: _·_ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ __ _ _ ___ 98 45. Algal conglomerate from west of Ponce·---------------------------------------------------------------- 103 46. Coral reefs off Central Aguirre, south coast------------------------------------------------------------:..-
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