This video shows exposure of layered sedimentary deposits of the submerged carbonate platform south of St. Croix, where erosion acting on layers of different strength has created a pronounced stepped texture. Here, harder material is resistant to erosion and forms thin benches and overhangs, while the softer material in between the harder layers is eroded away. An abundance and diversity of sessile fauna attached to the harder rocks suggests that the rocks remain stable for an extended period of time, even as strong currents slowly erode the weaker rocks and weaken the wall as a whole.

Text contributed by Jason Chaytor, U.S. Geological Survey.