The following overview is condensed from Hearty
et al. (1992, 1999), Hearty (2002), Olson and Hearty
(2003), Hearty et al. (2004), and Olson et al. (2005).
Bermuda consists almost entirely of carbonate limestone
formed from the comminuted remains of marine
invertebrates. During interglacial sea-level high
stands, carbonate sand on the shelf is transported to
land by tides and wind, forming dune deposits or
eolianite (Fig. 1). During glacial low stands when sea
levels fall below the edge of the platform, the island is
removed from carbonate sources and thin, clayey, red
soils form from pedogenesis of limestone and dust
accumulations originating in Saharan Africa. These
soils are now generally leached and bereft of fossils