A re-evaluation of the sediment distribution patterns on western Great Bahama Bank shows a facies distribution with two end-members. Coarse-grained sediments in the north, west, and south of the bank surround a mud-dominated realm located on the western leeward side of Andros Island. This facies distribution is comparable to earlier maps, but shows considerably more details and a complex distribution from grainstones to mud-rich wackestones. As in other carbonate platforms, sediment distribution appears to be influenced by (1) tidal currents, (2) prevailing wind direction, and (3) the interaction of the rate of Holocene sea-level rise with the preexisting Pleistocene topography. The grain-size distribution very precisely reflects current-influenced and protected areas on the platform. The correlation between the distribution of pellets and the 63-125µm grain-size fraction most likely reflects the predominantly biological origin of this grain size. Aragonite dominates the mineralogy on the platform, low-magnesium calcite and high-magnesium calcite occurs in higher quantities only in a few environments on the platform.

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