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Of the close to 3,400 individual reefs, 760 are fringing reefs. [7] Fringing reefs are the most common type of reef found in the Philippines, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, the western coast of Australia, the Caribbean, East Africa, and Red Sea. [1] [2] [8] [3] The largest fringing coral reef in the world is the Ningaloo Reef, stretching to around 260 ...
Fringing reefs follow coastlines and can extend for many kilometres. [43] They are usually less than 100 metres wide, but some are hundreds of metres wide. [44] Fringing reefs are initially formed on the shore at the low water level and expand seawards as they grow in size. The final width depends on where the sea bed begins to drop steeply.
Reef types include fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls. A fringing reef is a reef that is attached to an island. A fringing reef is a reef that is attached to an island. Whereas, a barrier reef forms a calcareous barrier around an island, resulting in a lagoon between the shore and the reef.
The distinctive Ningaloo Reef that fringes the Ningaloo Coast is 260 kilometres (160 mi) long and is Australia's largest fringing coral reef and the only large reef positioned very close to a landmass. [1] [2] The Muiron Islands and Cape Farquhar are within this coastal zone.
Fringing reefs are uncommon along the Mozambican coast, limited by freshwater input from numerous rivers, and cold-water upwelling in the Mozambique Channel. Patch reefs are best developed on the Quirimbas Islands, Primeiras and Segundas Archipelago, and Mozambique Island and neighboring islands in Mozambique Bay. Mangroves are found in the ...
Reefs were formed by corals living in shallow depths of water. Darwin's theory set out a sequence of coral reef formation around an extinct volcanic island, becoming an atoll as the island and ocean floor subsided. Courtesy of the US Geological Survey. When the Beagle set out in 1831, the formation of coral atolls was a scientific puzzle.
He reasoned that a fringing coral reef surrounding a volcanic island in the tropical sea will grow upward as the island subsides (sinks), becoming an "almost atoll", or barrier reef island, as typified by an island such as Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, and Bora Bora and others in the Society Islands.
SMEs are characterized by carbonate reefs, which support many species. Estimates suggest that coral reefs alone may host between 1-9 million species. The three main types of reef formations are: [8] Fringing Reefs: attached to the shore; Barrier Reefs: separated from the mainland by a lagoon; Atoll Reefs: ring-shaped reefs surrounding a lagoon