Twenty-eight samples were collected from the stratigraphic section exposed one kilometer east of Buff Bay, Jamaica. This exposure includes the upper part of the Montpelier Formation and the type locality of the Buff Bay Formation. Planktic foraminifers were identified in each sample and age determinations made. The age of the section studied is interpreted as ranging from upper N 13 (Globorotalia mayeri Zone) to N 16 (Globorotalia acostaensis Zone). The uppermost portion of the Buff Bay Formation, exposed in 'Dead Goat Gully,' is reported by other authors to contain N 17 fauna, but was not collected in this study Three-hundred specimens of benthic foraminifers were picked from each sample. From this population sampling, 431 species and subspecies were identified, described and photographed. The percentage of the total benthic fauna of each taxon was calculated for each sample A comprehensive paleobathymetric analysis was made of the Buff Bay Formation, using planktic/benthic ratios, generic dominance, faunal diversity, and comparative modern species distributions The depositional environment of the upper Montpelier Formation and the Buff Bay Formation is interpreted as middle to lower bathyal water depths
