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Atoll islands are low lying, with their elevations less than 5 metres (16 ft). Measured by total area, Lifou (1,146 km 2, 442 sq mi) is the largest raised coral atoll of the world, followed by Rennell Island (660 km 2, 250 sq mi). [10] More sources, however, list Kiritimati as the largest atoll
The atoll is the largest raised coral reef in the world with an elevation of 8 metres (26 ft); and the second-largest atoll in the world after Kiritimati Atoll. [18] It lies at 9°24′S 46°22′E / 9.400°S 46.367°E / -9.400; 46.367 and belongs to the Aldabra Group , one of the island groups of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles ...
Johnston Atoll is located between the Marshall Islands and the Hawaiian Islands. Johnston Atoll is a 1,300-hectare (3,200-acre) atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, located about 750 nautical miles (1,390 km; 860 mi) southwest of the island of Hawaiʻi, and is grouped as one of the United States Minor Outlying Islands. [11]
The main habitat types found in the reserve are coral reefs, islands, sea grass beds and mangroves. Coral reefs are the most important habitat type in terms of area as well as biodiversity. Maldivian coral reefs are home to the richest diversity in the region and are the seventh largest in the world, accounting for 5% of the world's reef area.
Canton Island typifies the isolated coral atolls dotting the Pacific Ocean. The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs, Being the first part of the geology of the voyage of the Beagle, under the command of Capt. Fitzroy, R.N. during the years 1832 to 1836, was published in 1842 as Charles Darwin's first monograph, and set out his theory of the formation of coral reefs and atolls.
There are two types of lagoons, coastal and oceanic/atoll lagoons. [19] A coastal lagoon is, as the definition above, simply a body of water that is separated from the ocean by a barrier. An atoll lagoon is a circular coral reef or several coral islands that surround a lagoon. Atoll lagoons are often much deeper than coastal lagoons. [20]
Tubbataha Reef is situated on Cagayan Ridge, an extinct underwater volcano and an island arc during the Miocene. Being a true atoll structure, it is believed that the atolls of Tubbataha were formed as fringing reefs and volcanic islands. This follows the classical Charles Darwin's theory that atolls are formed around an existing volcanic ...
Kiritimati (Christmas Island), a raised coral atoll in the Pacific Ocean. A raised coral atoll or uplifted coral atoll is an atoll that has been lifted high enough above sea level by tectonic forces, protecting it from scouring by storms and enabling soils and diverse – often endemic – species of flora and fauna to develop. [1]