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Fringing Reefs

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Encyclopedia of Modern Coral Reefs

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Definition

“Fringing reefs” are reefs that grow very close to the shore on mainland or high island (continental shelf or volcanic mid-ocean island) coasts. They are generally shore-attached, although back-reef areas can be shallowly submerged. Most fringing reefs are simple structures geomorphologically which can be divided into three main zones: forereef, reef crest, and backreef. They tend to be relatively narrow reefs where the submarine slope is steep and broader where it is gentle, and they usually consist of a thin but seaward thickening veneer of reefal carbonate deposited over a rocky substrate. Fringing reefs are the first in the subsidence-driven Darwinian reef sequence (fringing reef – barrier reef – atoll; Darwin, 1842). They are often relatively young reefs and tend to be best developed on stable or rising coasts.

Introduction

In the 30 plus years since Steers and Stoddart (1977) suggested that

Of the three main types, fringing reefs are the simplest, apparently the least...

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  1. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, 4811, Townsville, QLD, Australia

    Scott Smithers

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  1. Scott Smithers
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  1. James Cook University, Townsville, Australia

    David Hopley

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Smithers, S. (2011). Fringing Reefs. In: Hopley, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Modern Coral Reefs. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2639-2_15

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