0
the Great Barrier Reef is approximately 500,000 years old. However The structure of the current reef is much younger. It is less than around 8,000 years old. So it is hard to put your finger on the exact age of the Great barrier reef.
This is NOT the answer to the question...It is merely speculation.
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What are natural disasters in the Great Barrier Reef?
The most common natural disaster in the Great Barrier Reef is the occurrence cyclones. The Great Barrier Reef is in the Coral Sea, and many cyclones form in the Coral Sea each cyclone season.
Is the Great Barrier Reef an atoll?
No. The Great Barrier Reef is not a single atoll, but atolls do form part of it. The Great Barrier Reef is a series of atolls, islands and reefs extending for a length of approximately 2300km.
Where do dolphins live in the Great Barrier Reef?
Various marine creatures live in the Great Barrier Reef, including turtles, dugong, squid, octopus, sharks, a huge variety of fish, and an enormous range of sea plants.No person lives in the Great Barrier Reef, as it is primarily comprised of a series of coral reefs and atolls, and much of it is underwater. There are many islands which form part of the Great Barrier Reef, and these are inhabited by people of all sorts of races, usually caucasian.
How does barrier reef form?
Barrier reefs begin as fringing reefs along the shores of a volcano. Then over millions of years the volcano sinks lower into the sea and the sea level rises around the volcano. The coral grows upwards to keep from getting too far from the sunlight at the sea surface. The outward side of the coral reef grows fastest, since ocean currents bring in the plankton that the corals feed on. The water on the landward side of the reef is still and there is less oceanic plankton. Here the reef is unable to grow fast enough to keep up with the rising sea level and is eventually drowned. A lagoon develops between the reef and the land, resulting in the characteristic barrier reef shape.
What types of rocks are found there at great barrier reef?
The reef sits on top of thousands of years of compacted coral skeletons that have compressed and fused to form limestone rocks. So yes, there are rocks in the reef as it is principally composed of rock.
Which type of reef forms parallel to the shoreline but separated from an island by a lagoon?
Barrier reefs form parallel to the shoreline but are separated by a lagoon.
Which type of reef forms from parallel to the shoreline but is separated from an island by a lagoon?
Barrier reefs form parallel to the shoreline but are separated by a lagoon.
Scientific name for coral reef?
The scientific name for coral reef is "Anthozoa." Anthozoa is a class of marine invertebrates that includes corals, sea anemones, and some other related organisms that form the structural foundation of coral reefs.
What is the fire danger of the great barrier reef?
The Great Barrier Reef, like any natural habitat, faces numerous threats, largely as a result of human impact. Although it does not have an official listing of endangered, it is shrinking, and it is unknown by how much, or whether this is permanent. Climate scientists who subscribe to the theory of anthropogenic global warming (i.e. caused by man's activities) predict that the Great Barrier Reef may lose up to 95% of its coral by the middle of the current century. Although the coastline parallel to the Great Barrier Reef has been settled by Europeans for less than 200 years, these scientists believe that the Reef has been shrinking by 20% every 100 years. Climate scientists who subscribe to the theory that global warming is cyclical perhaps have a less drastic view, as they believe that the coral will regenerate, as it has apparently done so in the past. There is evidence that the coral goes down much deeper than first thought, and this is an important factor in its regeneration. It is a very emotive topic. Pollution and chemical runoff pose a very real threat to the reef. The water quality of the reef is affected by sediment and nutrients, and 80% of this is caused by cattle grazing on the land adjacent to the reef. Mud and chemical runoff tend to limit the sunlight that reaches the coral, causing it to die off, and they increase the macro-algae, which is a weed. Tourism is a threat to the reef, as tourist boats damage the delicate framework of the reef; fishing and pollution left behind by visitors also is a threat. A natural threat to the Great Barrier Reef is the Crown of Thorns starfish. Outbreaks of this starfish are a constant threat to the animals of the Great Barrier Reef, though in small numbers it poses no threat. There are about 40 species which live in and around the Great Barrier Reef which are listed as endangered, mostly due to human impact.
How was the great barrier reef formed as a land form?
The reefs require adequate amount of sunlight. They grow only in shallow and clean water. A reef can be made of any of the three substances - sand, rock or coral. The temperature that is conducive for the formation of reefs is between 18 degree Celsius and 30 degree Celsius. The sea animals called polyps form colonies that make the reefs. A coral polyp resembles a sea anemone. This animal has many tentacles around its mouth. Many polyps join together to form a colony. The Barrier Reef is made of many coral reefs. Each coral polyp is associated with an alga. The photosynthesis by an alga helps the polyp to make a coral skeleton. The skeletons are made of aragonite, a form of calcium carbonate. These coral skeletons form quickly and are the foundation on which coral reefs are built. Two coral skeletons are sealed together by calcium carbonate produced by algae. Thus the reefs including the Great Barrier Reef are formed due to the association between a sea animal and a single-celled plant.
What are the damages made by humans to the Great Barrier Reef?
its because the range of humans uses made of the water catchment area adjacent to the great barrier reef,water ,quality ,has declined owing to the sediment and chemical runoff from farming ,and to loss of coastal wetlands which are the natural filters.
What are the different forms of coral reef?
Coral reefs can take four forms; fringing reef, platform reefs, barrier reefs and atolls. Fringing reefs are narrow and shallow, and generally occur near the shore, they literally are a thin 'fringe' along the coast. Platform reefs are reef outcroppings far from shore that occur in calm water. They often have a shallow lagoon, and are flat on top. Barrier reefs are reefs growing along a coastline that are separated from the coastline by a lagoon. Barrier reefs are very similar to fringings except that they are much larger. Atolls are ring reefs that usually form at the base of a volcano. Over time the volcano dissapears, leaving a rin of reef surrounded by deep ocean.
