Revising Darwin's sinking-island theory: New study helps resolve a dispute over the origins of coral-reef formations

The three different formations of South Pacific coral-reef islands have long fascinated geologists. Tahiti's coral forms a "fringing" reef, a shelf growing close to the island's shore. The "barrier" reefs of Bora Bora are separated from the main island by a calm lagoon. Finally, an "atoll," such as Manuae, appears as a ring of coral enclosing a lagoon with no island at its center.

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