Barbados is the easternmost island in the Windward Island chain in the Eastern Caribbean area. Nearly 85% of the island exposes carbonate sedimentary rocks of varying Pleistocene eras.
Barbados is unique in the Lesser Antilles in that it is not a volcanic island. The island is made up entirely of sedimentary rocks. Subdivision of the Atlantic oceanic crest of the North American Plate westward below the Caribbean plate has led to the development of the Barbados Ridge Accretionary Prism. Barbados is the only emergent portion of this accretionary prism.
(See related webpage) The Barbados Ridge, including the island of Barbados, is one of Earth's few active accretionary prisms, or wedges of new rock being added to a continent. The ridge includes a 2.5-mile-thick layer of Pleistocene limestone laid down by coral reefs on top of 12.5 miles of low-density sediments and sedimentary rock. Beneath Barbados, the South American continental plate is being subducted as the Caribbean Plate slowly moves westward over it, but Barbados is not part of the subduction zone.
The broken cliff at the beach level of Bottom Bay exposes the lowest and oldest layers , or strata..........the sediments scraped from the nearby Lesser Antilles Accretionary Prism and then covered by additional sediment, including volcanics from a nearby arc. These strata are covered by deposits from a younger prism.
The limestone walls of the cliff at the beach level of Bottom Bay contains many fossils that were deposited in deep water. On the top of the cliff at Bottom Bay, limestone deposited in shallow water as the island rose can be seen. The coral fossils in the upper sediments indicate that the limestone was laid down in a shallow sea, only six to 120 feet of water, laid down as the island was rising. The white sand beaches of Barbados developed from limestone sediments laid down by coral reefs.
You will see fossils everywhere on Barbados, even in the building blocks of homes and businesses. Many coral fossils are evident in Coralstone, a common building material here. In one piece of Coralstone, you may see 12 different fossils from differing depths that were pushed up from the ocean floor over millions of years.
On this cache page, you will see SOME of the many types of fossils that are present in Barbados.
In order to receive credit for this cache, you must perform the following 4 tasks...
1. Describe the type of fossils that you see at the metal post at GZ. What types do you see.......which is the most prevalent?
2. Go down to beach level just below the metal post. Describe the fossils there and describe the differences or similarities of those in comparison to those on the top of cliff by the metal post.
3. Considering the similarities or differences between the fossils at the clifftop and beach levels, what conclusions can you draw about the age of the fossils that you have found?
4. Considering the similarities or differences between the fossils at the beach level and the clifftop levels, what conclusions can you draw about the development of the entire island?
Send a private email with your answers. Pictures are not required but how could you not take pictures at this fabulous location? 
If you do post closeup shots of fossils, please do not reveal which level they were on.
Warning....do not attempt to drive all the way to GZ. These rocks are sharp and will puncture your tires! WALK the last 400'
This is the 4th cache in our series, Winding it up Again. MoCat! is the geocaching team name of Mogasman and Cybercat. We are two mature cachers who realize that we cannot turn back the clock, but we can wind it up again.
