EXTENDED ABSTRACT: Stratigraphy of Belize, North of the 17th Parallel

The stratigraphy of Belize, north of the 17th parallel, consists of (1) a thick section of deformed and metamorphosed Carboniferous-Permian sedimentary and volcanic strata in the Maya Mountains, (2) a moderately thick section of Mesozoic strata, mostly carbonates, which are found in the subsurface and in outcrop near the Maya Mountains and along major faults, and (3) a relatively thin section of Paleocene-Pleistocene carbonates, which comprise most of the coastal plain of northern Belize. All of the stratigraphic units of Belize are informal and most lack true type sections and proper descriptions. This paper attempts to discuss and synthesize what is known of the stratigraphy of this region.