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ABSTRACT IN my letter on the recession of the Tahitian coral reefs published in NATURE of April 23, proof is given of the original continuity of the present barrier reef from shore to ocean
slope. The absence of a lagoon from parts of the coasts of both Tahiti and Moorea should alone prove that barrier reefs can no longer be taken as an index of subsidence without independent
proof from the adjacent land, and the completion of the proof that barriers may be formed from broad reefs of the fringing type should be decisive. Further, I propose shortly to publish
proof that in the adjacent but older island of Moorea there has been a tilting, resulting in subsidence of the south coast, which, though it took place during the growth of the reefs, has
not made any difference to their form off that part of the island. The investigation of reef problems owes much to the numerous papers by Prof. Davis, which insist upon, and explain, the
geological factors which it is essential to take into account. The biologist must, however, join in these researches, and it is much to be regretted that this side has been entirely
neglected in Davis's work. One also misses any detailed local descriptions of the great series of reefs, old and new, which he has visited, that of Tahiti being the only one I have
seen; this appears in French in _Annales de Géographic_, 1918. In this Prof. Davis gives reasons for believing that the island has undergone a large subsidence, with which conclusion, after
much consideration given to the subject on the spot, I am quite unable to agree. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your
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REEF SYSTEM IN SOUTH AMERICA Article Open access 17 October 2022 FRASER ISLAND (K'GARI) AND INITIATION OF THE GREAT BARRIER REEF LINKED BY MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE SEA-LEVEL CHANGE Article
Open access 14 November 2022 VERTICAL STRUCTURE OF CARIBBEAN DEEP-REEF FISHES FROM THE ALTIPHOTIC TO DEEP-SEA BOUNDARY Article Open access 22 August 2024 AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND
AFFILIATIONS * The Zoological Laboratory, Cambridge CYRIL CROSSLAND Authors * CYRIL CROSSLAND View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND
PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE CROSSLAND, C. Barrier Reefs as a Sign of a Subsiding Coast Line. _Nature_ 120, 11–12 (1927).
https://doi.org/10.1038/120011a0 Download citation * Issue Date: 02 July 1927 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/120011a0 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able
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