The Neogene stratigraphy of the Azua and Enriquillo basins of south-central Hispaniola (Dominican Republic) records the uplift history of central Hispaniola. The marine sequences change upward from deep-marine pelagic strata of the Sombrerito Formation to coastal clastic rocks of the Arroyo Blanco and Las Salinas Formations. A 2,000-m-thick southeastward-prograding turbidite sequence, the Trinchera Formation, reflects infilling of the Azua Basin. A transition from finer grained outer fan-type facies to coarser grained inner fan-type facies is evident in measured sections.

Planktonic foraminiferal and ostracode evidence indicates that the marine section of the Azua basin extends from lower to upper Miocene in...