How is this area formed? Wikipedia also mentions “reefs rising abruptly from depths of 1000 meters” but provides no citation, does it mean reefs being washed by the currents or exposed through low tides? Sorry my question sounds stupid
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It means that the ocean abruptly goes from 1000 feet deep to 10 feet deep in spots.
This happens because coral reefs form on shallow spots of the underwater mountain range and slowly build them higher (with their calcified shells) over many centuries until they’re nearly skimming the surface.
No big deal if you’re a swimmer, but a huge deal if you’re a cargo ship with a 30 foot draft that just slammed into an underwater mountain that doesn’t quite break the surface so you didn’t even see it.
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