. Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited during the voyage round the world of 'Beagle,' under the command of Captain Fitz Roy. scarcely possible to say whether it ought strictly to be 508 DEAD AND SUNKEN REEFS chap. called three separate atolls, or one great atoll not yet finallydivided. I will not enter on many more details ; but I must remarkthat the curious structure of the northern Maldiva atollsreceives (taking into consideration the free entrance of the seathrough their broken margins) a simple explanation in theupward and outward growt
. Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited during the voyage round the world of 'Beagle,' under the command of Captain Fitz Roy. scarcely possible to say whether it ought strictly to be 508 DEAD AND SUNKEN REEFS chap. called three separate atolls, or one great atoll not yet finallydivided. I will not enter on many more details ; but I must remarkthat the curious structure of the northern Maldiva atollsreceives (taking into consideration the free entrance of the seathrough their broken margins) a simple explanation in theupward and outward growth of the corals, originally based bothon small detached reefs in their lagoons, such as occur incommon atolls, and on broken portions of the linear marginalreef, such as bounds every atoll of the ordinary form. I cannotrefrain from once again remarking on the singularity of thesecomplex structures—a great sandy and generally concave diskrises abruptly from the unfathomable ocean, with its centralexpanse studded and its edge symmetrically bordered with ovalbasins of coral-rock just lipping the surface of the sea, sometimesclothed with vegetation, and each containing a la
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, booksubjectge, booksubjectvoyagesaroundtheworld
