The proposal is for a field and laboratory investigation of the Neogene geological history of three interconnected basins (Azua, Enriquillo, and San Juan) in southern Dominican Republic, within the northern boundary zone of the Caribbean Plate. The overall marine sequence here is known to be regressive, but a lack of dependable chronostratigraphic and paleoecologic information has impeded the analysis of basin evolution and tectonism. The proposed paleoecology, would provide this information, and should lead to a better knowledge of the Neogene sedimentary and structural development of Hispaniola. The result should be an improved understanding of the movements of the Caribbean plate at the Hispaniola triple junction in the last thirty million years.
