Eocene intra-plate shortening responsible for the rise of a faunal pathway in the northeastern Caribbean realm

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241000
• Publication Date: 2020-10-20T17:25:56Z
• Authors: Mélody Philippon; Jean-Jacques Cornée; Philippe Münch; Douwe J. J. van H...; Marcelle BouDaghe...; Lydie Gailler; Lydian M. Boschman; Fredéric Quillevere; Leny Montheil; Aurelien Gay; Jean Fredéric Lebrun; Serge Lallemand; Laurent Marivaux; Pierre-Olivier An...
• Keywords: Land bridge; Caribbean region; Neogene; Hiatus

Intriguing latest Eocene land-faunal dispersals between South America and the Greater Antilles (northern Caribbean) has inspired hypothesis of GAARlandia (Greater Aves Ridge) land bridge. This landbridge, however, should have crossed Caribbean oceanic plate, geological evolution its rise demise, or geodynamic forcing, remain unknown. Here we present results a land-sea survey from northeast combined with chronostratigraphic data, revealing regional episode mid to late Eocene, trench-normal, E-W shortening crustal thickening by ∼25%. led Eocene–early Oligocene hiatus in sedimentary record location an emerged (the Antilles-Northern Lesser Antilles, GrANoLA, landmass), consistent hypothesis. Subsequent submergence is explained trench-parallel extension thermal relaxation following shift arc magmatism, expressed early Miocene transgression. We tentatively link NE intra-plate well-known absolute relative North American plate motion change, which may provide focus for search remaining connection 'GrANoLA' America, through Ridge island arc. Our study highlights how driven paleogeographic change that still reflected current biology.