On coral reefs and islands . scolored byvegetable or animal decomposition. There is but little depth ofcoral soil, although the land may appear buried in the richestfoliage: and scattered among the trees, stand, still uncovered,many of the larger blocks of coral, with their usual rough angu-lar features and blackened surface. The soil is seldom discol-ored beyond four or five inches, and but little of it to this depth;there is no proper vegetable mould, but a simple mixture of darkerparticles with the white grains of coral sand. It is often rathera coral gravel, and below a foot or two, it is
On coral reefs and islands . scolored byvegetable or animal decomposition. There is but little depth ofcoral soil, although the land may appear buried in the richestfoliage: and scattered among the trees, stand, still uncovered,many of the larger blocks of coral, with their usual rough angu-lar features and blackened surface. The soil is seldom discol-ored beyond four or five inches, and but little of it to this depth;there is no proper vegetable mould, but a simple mixture of darkerparticles with the white grains of coral sand. It is often rathera coral gravel, and below a foot or two, it is usually cemented to-gether into a more or less compact coral rock. One singular feature of the shore platform, occasionally ob-served, remains to be mentioned. Huge masses of reef-rock aresometimes found upon it, some of which lie loose upon the reef,while others are firmly imbedded in it below, and so cementedto it as to appear to be actually a part of the platform of some of these masses are here given. 1.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookidoncoralreefs, bookyear1853
