Caribbean Coast of

Hispaniola, Haiti

View of the southwestern coast of the island of Hispaniola, Haiti, east of the confluence of the Riviere Tiburon with the Caribbean Sea. The second largest island in the Greater Antilles, Hispaniola displays a complex, tectonically active, southern coastal structure dominated by a series of elevated terraces composed primarily of Cretaceous-aged, oceanic basalts with isolated deposits of Eocene-aged limestone. Three principal rivers drain to the southwestern coastline from elevations reaching over 2400 meters in the Massif de la Hotte—a prominently faulted mountain range which stretches much of the central length of the southern peninsula. Numerous springs and smaller tributaries also contribute to freshwater resources utilized by a significant coastal population. Dwellings (as shown in the center foreground) are frequently located within several meters of current mean sea level along the narrow coastal plains.

Coastal photograph by Michael Lace, September 2, 2007.