Preliminary biostratigraphic and geochronological results obtained from a 44 m-long core drilled on the northern coast of Mayaguana Island (SE Bahamas) show that the topmost layers of the core date from the Burdigalian (Early Miocene), whereas the deepest units are of Chattian (Late Oligocene) or Aquitanian (Earliest Miocene) age. Accordingly, the platform aggraded 44 m of sediments in a 10 to 3 my time span, from the Chattian/Aquitanian to the Burdigalian, whereas previous surface investigations of the island showed that only 11 m of carbonates were accumulated in a 17 my-long period, between the Burdigalian and the Early Pleistocene. This new record shows that the accumulation rate of the Mayaguana Bank was much higher during the Late Paleogene/Early Miocene than during the time interval from the Middle Miocene to the Pleistocene. This decrease is likely due to vertical tectonic motions related to the late phases of the Cuban orogeny which reduced accommodation on the platform top. These results designate the Mayaguana Bank as an accurate gauge to record the elevation of sea-level highstands during the Neogene