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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.
Spur and groove formations are a geomorphic feature of many coral reefs. They are ridges of reef formed by coral ("spurs") separated by channels ("grooves") which often have sediment or rubble bed. Spur and groove formations vary in their size and distribution worldwide but are a common feature on many forereefs of fringing reefs , barrier ...
The reef lies in Mexican waters 35 kilometres (22 mi) offshore in the Caribbean Sea, or about 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of the city of Chetumal. It is approximately 40.2 kilometres (25.0 mi) long from north to south, and approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) wide at its widest point. It covers an area of 800 square kilometres (310 sq mi).
As the subsidence continues, the fringing reef becomes a barrier reef and ultimately an atoll reef. Darwin's theory starts with a volcanic island which becomes extinct As the island and ocean floor subside, coral growth builds a fringing reef , often including a shallow lagoon between the land and the main reef.
There are two types of lagoons, coastal and oceanic/atoll lagoons. [23] 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. [24]
The atoll of Tetiʻaroa in French Polynesia. An atoll (/ ˈ æ t. ɒ l,-ɔː l,-oʊ l, ə ˈ t ɒ l,-ˈ t ɔː l,-ˈ t oʊ l /) [1] is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. [2] [3] Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical parts of the oceans
The Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain is a mostly undersea mountain range in the Pacific Ocean that reaches above sea level in Hawaii.It is composed of the Hawaiian ridge, consisting of the islands of the Hawaiian chain northwest to Kure Atoll, and the Emperor Seamounts: together they form a vast underwater mountain region of islands and intervening seamounts, atolls, shallows, banks and reefs ...
The atoll was named in 1818 by Captain Philip Parker King, who discovered the reef and named it after his ship HMS Mermaid. Clerke Reef (also called Minstrel Shoal), at , lies about 23 km southwest of Mermaid Reef. The reef has a length of about 15 km north–south, and a width of about 6 km. Near the northern end of the reef lies Bedwell Islet ...