OVER THE PAST TWO SUMMERS WE AND A NUMBER OF COLLABORATORS HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTING THE SEDIMENTOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY OF LITTLE AMBERGRIS CAY A SMALL UNINHABITED ISLAND NEAR THE SOUTHERN MARGIN OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS PLATFORM. THE ISLAND IS NOTABLE BOTH FOR THE SPECTACULAR AND EXTENSIVE MICROBIAL MATS THAT COVER ITS INTERIOR AND THE 20-KM LONG OOID SHOAL THAT EXTENDS TO THE WEST OF THE ISLAND. IT IS ONE OF THE BEST SITES TO STUDY THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT AND MAT TEXTURES IN MODERN MATS THAT ARE THE PRECURSORS TO STROMATOLITES WHICH ARE THE MOST ABUNDANT SEDIMENTARY STRUCTURES IN CARBONATES DEPOSITED THROUGH THE FIRST 85% OF RECORDED EARTH HISTORY AND THEREFORE PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT RECORD OF EARLY LIFE. OUR BASELINE FOR STUDIES OF LITTLE AMBERGRIS INCLUDE HIGH-RESOLUTION MAPPING BY DRONE; PHYSICAL MICROBIOLOGICAL AND BIOGEOCHEMICAL STUDIES OF MAT SAMPLES COLLECTED WITHIN THE MAPPING FRAMEWORK; AND SEDIMENTOLOGICAL AND GEOMORPHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ISLAND ITSELF AND THE OOIDS THAT STREAM ALONG ITS MARGINS. HURRICANE IRMA RECENTLY PASSED DIRECTLY OVER LITTLE AMBERGRIS CAY PROVIDING AN UNPARALLELED OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY THE SEDIMENTOLOGY OF A HURRICANE DEPOSIT AND TO DOCUMENT THE EFFECTS OF AND RECOVERY FROM THE STORM BY MICROBIAL MATS. IN PARTICULAR WE WOULD LIKE TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT MICROBIAL MAT MORPHOLOGY IS CONTROLLED BY ELEVATION RATHER THAN ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION. THE TRADITIONAL INTERPRETATION HAS BEEN THAT MAT MORPHOLOGY FOLLOWS AN ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION IN WHICH FLAT MATS COLONIZE A SEDIMENT SURFACE IMMEDIATELY AFTER A MAJOR DISTURBANCE AND EVOLVE INTO POLYGONAL MATS WITH TIME. IN THIS MODEL MATS BECOME MORE DIVERSE WITH TIME.