Geomorphic zoning and eogenetic karst on limestones within the supratidal environment: San Salvador, Bahamas

An examination of eogenetic karst along supratidal coastal and tidally-influenced inland-lake shoreline sites was conducted on San Salvador Island, Bahamas in order to gain insight into the karst forming processes active along the land-marine interface. Based on proximity to marine aerosols and the spatial distribution patterns of surficial karst morphologies and biotic populations, four shore-parallel geomorphic zones are identified. Spatial affinities suggest haloclastic, bioerosional, and to a lesser degree, mixing dissolution/corrosion processes dominate the seaward-most region of the coastal platform, the region regularly wetted by sea spray and most deeply dissected. Further landward, where the platform remains largely free of marine aerosol, surficial karst development is more subdued and appears to be dominated by meteoric dissolution processes. The observed meso- and micro-karst morphologies and associated geomorphic zoning patterns are the combined products of biological, chemical, and physical processes unique to the supratidal zone, and are largely controlled by position relative to the land-marine interface and sea leve