How the Bahamas were formed

Author: Bryce

Man Jack Cay SE Anchorage

Only a small part of the Bahamas are actually above water. The rest are submerged banks that are twenty feet or less deep. The water surrounding the banks is thousands of feet deep.

This happened because hundreds of millions of years ago the banks were built up by the formation of coral reefs and other rocks. That coral then became Limestone. Limestone is a soft, spongy porous rock.

About 200 million years ago the ice caps formed and the water level dropped a considerable amount leaving the Bahama Banks exposed to the waves. The highest of the rock and coral formations poked above the surface and became the actual islands. Soil and sand washed up onto the coral islands with the wind and waves. This formed the beaches and allowed plants to grow on the rocky islands.

Now days the limestone is being eroded away by the waves beating against the soft rock. This leaves gaping holes in the limestone forming overhanging cliffs, rocks and caves. That will eventually collapse. You can see evidence of this erosion in the pictures I posted here. We took these near Marsh Harbor.

As the rock is broken down new land is being formed by the growth of the coral reefs. This is why we have to protect the reefs. If we don't, someday the Bahamas and other island chains like them will be gone.