Formations
Coral reefs
can take a variety of forms, defined
in following;
| |
Diagram
of a fringing coral reef. |
Apron reef
Short reef resembling a fringing reef,
but more sloped; extending out and downward
from a point or peninsular shore.
Fringing
reef
Reef that is directly attached to a
shore or borders it with an intervening
shallow channel or lagoon.
Barrier
reef
Reef separated from a mainland or island
shore by a deep lagoon; see Great Barrier
Reef.
Patch reef
An isolated, often circular reef, usually
within a lagoon or embayment.
Ribbon reef
Long, narrow, somewhat winding reef,
usually associated with an atoll lagoon.
Table reef
Isolated reef, approaching an atoll
type, but without a lagoon.
Atoll reef
A more or less circular or continuous
barrier reef extending all the way around
a lagoon without a central island; see
atoll.
Bank Reef
Bank reefs are larger than patch reefs
and are linear or semi-circular in outline.
