GEOLOGY & BIOLOGY OF
SAN SALVADOR ISLAND, BAHAMAS
San Salvador Island has been a popular destination for
numerous academic groups wishing to study modern subtropical shallow marine
biotas and Pleistocene-Holocene carbonate depositional systems.
As the sign in the photo above indicates, San Salvador
Island was Christopher Columbus’ first landfall in the New World.
Researchers hired by National Geographic have thrown doubt on this
long-standing claim - they consider Rum Cay to be Columbus’ first
landfall. However, available geographic, archaeological, and historical
evidence are consistent with San Salvador being Columbus’ first
landfall (it wasn’t Rum Cay). Even a casual reading of
Columbus’ journal indicates that the geographic descriptions of the 1st
island he visited are not consistent with Rum Cay. Three separate monuments on the island
claim to mark the spot of 1st landfall.
San Salvador is a north-south elongated island (~12-13
miles long, ~6-7 miles wide) on a small isolated carbonate platform in the
eastern Bahamas
Archipelago. The Bahamas consist of the Great Bahama Bank
(Andros, Bimini, New Providence, Berry Islands, Eleuthera, Cat Island, Long
Island, Great Exuma, Ragged Island, Exuma Cays), the Little Bahama Bank
(Grand Bahama and Abaco Islands), plus several, smaller, isolated carbonate
platforms (San Salvador, Rum Cay, Crooked Island, Acklins Island, Mayaguana,
Great Inagua, and the Turks & Caicos). Some
aerial photos of a few islands in the Grand Bahama Bank.
1999 topo.
map of San Salvador Island (provided
by the University of New Haven)
More info. on San
Salvador Island
Some
literature on San Salvador geology & marine biology (1977-2010)
San Sal kids using me as a diving board at Hanna Bay.
Landfall
of Christopher Columbus
Organisms
in the water 1 (algae)
Organisms
in the water 2 (invertebrates)
Organisms
in the water 3 (vertebrates)
Seashells
from San Salvador Island
Some short videos of San Salvador Island
(I’d recommend watching with the sound off)