<P> The geological age of the Caribbean Sea is estimated to be between 160 and 180 million years and was formed by a horizontal fracture that split the supercontinent called Pangea in the Mesozoic Era . It is assumed the proto - caribbean basin existed in the Devonian period . In the early Carboniferous movement of Gondwana to the north and its convergence with the Euramerica basin decreased in size . The next stage of the Caribbean Sea's formation began in the Triassic . Powerful rifting led to the formation of narrow troughs, stretching from modern Newfoundland to the west coast of the Gulf of Mexico which formed siliciclastic sedimentary rocks . In the early Jurassic due to powerful marine transgression, water broke into the present area of the Gulf of Mexico creating a vast shallow pool . The emergence of deep basins in the Caribbean occurred during the Middle Jurassic rifting . The emergence of these basins marked the beginning of the Atlantic Ocean and contributed to the destruction of Pangaea at the end of the late Jurassic . During the Cretaceous the Caribbean acquired the shape close to that seen today . In the early Paleogene due to Marine regression the Caribbean became separated from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean by the land of Cuba and Haiti . The Caribbean remained like this for most of the Cenozoic until the Holocene when rising water levels of the oceans restored communication with the Atlantic Ocean . </P> <P> The Caribbean's floor is composed of sub-oceanic sediments of deep red clay in the deep basins and troughs . On continental slopes and ridges calcareous silts are found . Clay minerals likely having been deposited by the mainland river Orinoco and the Magdalena River . Deposits on the bottom of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico have a thickness of about 1 km (0.62 mi). Upper sedimentary layers relate to the period from the Mesozoic to the Cenozoic (250 million years ago to present) and the lower layers from the Paleozoic to the Mesozoic . </P> <P> The Caribbean sea floor is divided into five basins separated from each other by underwater ridges and mountain ranges . Atlantic Ocean water enters the Caribbean through the Anegada Passage lying between the Lesser Antilles and Virgin Islands and the Windward Passage located between Cuba and Haiti . The Yucatán Channel between Mexico and Cuba links the Gulf of Mexico with the Caribbean . The deepest points of the sea lie in Cayman Trough with depths reaching approximately 7,686 m (25,220 ft). Despite this, the Caribbean Sea is considered a relatively shallow sea in comparison to other bodies of water . </P> <P> The pressure of the South American Plate to the east of the Caribbean causes the region of the Lesser Antilles to have high volcanic activity . There was a very serious eruption of Mount Pelée in 1902 which caused many casualties . </P>

What kind of fish are in the caribbean sea