Changes

===Late Eocene to Present===

===Late Eocene to Present===

Shallow-marine conditions prevailed during most of this time interval, and mostly limestones, marls, and shales accumulated, accompanied by some coarse clastic sediment (present; [[:file:St58OverviewFG34.JPG|Figure 14]]). There was very little tectonic activity. In the northern basins, a strong angular [[unconformity]] separates the upper Eocene strata from the older rocks. In the southern basins, sedimentation was essentially continuous from the [[Cretaceous]] through the [[Tertiary]], with no major unconformity. Some local basins may have formed as gentle deformation of the old [[Orogeny|orogenic belt]] occurred. This deformation consisted mostly of large-scale folds (Habana-Matanzas) and high-angle [[fault]]s (Pinar). This type of deformation is still active today and is largely responsible for Cuba's present physiography.

Shallow-marine conditions prevailed during most of this time interval, and mostly [[Carbonate|limestones], [[Carbonate|marls]], and [[shale]]s accumulated, accompanied by some coarse clastic sediment (present; [[:file:St58OverviewFG34.JPG|Figure 14]]). There was very little tectonic activity. In the northern basins, a strong angular [[unconformity]] separates the upper Eocene strata from the older rocks. In the southern basins, sedimentation was essentially continuous from the [[Cretaceous]] through the [[Tertiary]], with no major unconformity. Some local basins may have formed as gentle deformation of the old [[Orogeny|orogenic belt]] occurred. This deformation consisted mostly of large-scale folds (Habana-Matanzas) and high-angle [[fault]]s (Pinar). This type of deformation is still active today and is largely responsible for Cuba's present physiography.

Cuba is an example of [[subduction]] generating an orogenic belt. The subduction progressed from an oceanic environment through a region of relatively recent [[oceanic crust]] between North and South America and, finally, became inactive at the southern margin of the North American continent. The main difference relative to most of the well-known marginal orogenic belts is that the [[Thrust fault|thrust]] sheets that accompanied the subduction rode onto and over a much depressed and fragmented [[continental margin]] (with fragments now in the Bahamas Basin, Gulf of Mexico, Yucatan) relatively far away from a fully continental craton.

Cuba is an example of [[subduction]] generating an orogenic belt. The subduction progressed from an oceanic environment through a region of relatively recent [[oceanic crust]] between North and South America and, finally, became inactive at the southern margin of the North American continent. The main difference relative to most of the well-known marginal orogenic belts is that the [[Thrust fault|thrust]] sheets that accompanied the subduction rode onto and over a much depressed and fragmented [[continental margin]] (with fragments now in the Bahamas Basin, Gulf of Mexico, Yucatan) relatively far away from a fully continental craton.