CORAL BEBES
175
(Fig. 35), the force of the sea would throw boulders of
coral limestone on to the surface of the at around the
edge and here dry land would begin to be formed. ' Gradu—
ally the boundaries of the reef would be extended in all
directions, more stones and boulders would be thrown up,
some of which would be worn down by the action of the
.
weather to form a soil in which seeds carried by the sea,
or in oating 'timber washed ashore, or in soil attached to the
feet of sea birds 'which alighted » here, would establish
themselves and grow.
And so the beginnings of plant life
'
_
would appear and, by the binding action of their rOots, would
establish the dry land yet more securely, while their decay
after
death
would
SEA
e.
LevtL
provide further, and
c,
\
_
richer, soil.
Mean— ' :
,
7
;"
\
:
while the centre of
// Î\
\
the reef at would
7
\\
become hollowed out
\\
,
to form a la
'
'
.."v.Ï",Ï"'
'
.
goon m
essent1aHy the same
manner
as
the
::::?lll:ËËËËüîlêîîiîiêaul!:É:Ë:â::!î:.ë::l‘:îäîz‘::îîäläuriîlîîlläi:‘.lël::a%:.……
'
Channel
is
formed PIG. 37.—Di'agram to illustrate-‘the formation of
.
.
au atoll according to Murray‘s theory.
A, original
.
between the frmgmg- mound on sea-bottom; Br-B4, increase in mound;
’
'
reef and che land—
ÊÊñ‘âîä“äïä’Ïäÿ '
…
The water pouring in
sclution or eroding action
of 563, etc.
.
»
between the various islands fdrming the atoll ring (see Fig. »
34), would scoür and dissolve away (Murray laid great
‘
stress on the latter process) the dead cOral in'the centre
-
and, with the aid of boring animals and plants graduay'
eat out a sh‘allow lagoon; And So the process would go
on, the atoll extending outwards like a “
fairy ring
"’
of.
_
fungus on grass, the broken fragments or talus
_
down the steep slope’s outside and furnishing a=foundation…
,
for the further increase of the reef.
In exactly the Same
'