ReefDiary

Formations of coral reefs

Formations
Coral reefs can take a variety of forms, defined in following:
Fringing reef – a reef that is directly attached to a shore or borders it with an intervening shallow channel or lagoon.
Barrier reef – a reef separated from a mainland or island shore by a deep lagoon (see Great Barrier Reef).
Patch reef – an isolated, often circular reef, usually within a lagoon or embayment.
Apron reef – a short reef resembling a fringing reef, but more sloped; extending out and downward from a point or peninsular shore.
Bank reef – a linear or semi-circular in outline, larger than a patch reef.
Ribbon reef – a long, narrow, somewhat winding reef, usually associated with an atoll lagoon.
Atoll reef – a more or less circular or continuous barrier reef extending all the way around a lagoon without a central island; see atoll.
Table reef – an isolated reef, approaching an atoll type, but without a lagoon
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_reef

posted by TheReefsLife's @ 6:35 AM