Henderson Island (Southern Polynesia) : summary of current knowlege

Abstract

The tropical seas are liberally sprinkled with coral islands. Many of them are associated with continents and large continental islands, in relatively shallow water, rising from continental shelves. Many, also, are in deep water - atolls, barrier reef islets round high islands, ‘almost atolls', tops of drowned karsts, and a few moderately elevated atolls. These last are among the most fascinating of all, scientifically.