Although Cuba is now part of the North American continent, it is a remnant of a [[Cretaceous]] to early [[Tertiary]] [[orogenic belt]] that has been preserved because of the local configurations of the North American and Caribbean [[plate]]s. As a consequence, Cuba exposes sequences of Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous nonvolcanic pelagic sediments that are rare, if not unique, in the Caribbean as well as in North, Central, and South America. However, Cuba has facies and faunal similarities with equivalent strata of the [[Tethys]] region, specifically the [[Alps]] and Italian [[Apennines]]. | Although Cuba is now part of the North American continent, it is a remnant of a [[Cretaceous]] to early [[Tertiary]] [[orogenic belt]] that has been preserved because of the local configurations of the North American and Caribbean [[plate]]s. As a consequence, Cuba exposes sequences of Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous nonvolcanic pelagic sediments that are rare, if not unique, in the Caribbean as well as in North, Central, and South America. However, Cuba has facies and faunal similarities with equivalent strata of the [[Tethys]] region, specifically the [[Alps]] and Italian [[Apennines]]. |