Section 1 of 5
Three different things under one name
Continental fragments, a volcanic arc, a carbonate bank.
Islands that are pieces of continent
Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico are continental fragments rather than volcanic build-ups, which gives them size, rivers and real interiors.
A subduction zone that is still working
The Lesser Antilles are an active arc — Montserrat's Soufrière Hills from 1995 and St Vincent's La Soufrière in 2021 are the recent eruptions, both well documented.
A carbonate bank that is not really Caribbean
The Bahamas sit on a shallow carbonate platform in the Atlantic, with a geology and a water table completely unlike the arc.
Geothermal ground you can walk to
Dominica's Boiling Lake is a flooded fumarole reached on foot, and the island's geothermal potential is a live energy question.
Two plugs that became a listing
St Lucia's Pitons are volcanic plugs and carry a UNESCO listing that constrains what may be built around them.