How do Coral Reefs Form (ATOS 12.0)

How do Coral Reefs Form

In addition to being some of the most beautiful and biologically diverse habitats in the ocean, barrier reefs and atolls also are some of the oldest. With growth rates of 0.3 to 2 centimeters per year for massive corals, and up to 10 centimeters per year for branching corals, it can take up to 10,000 years for a coral reef to form from a group of larvae (Barnes, 1987). Depending on their size, barrier reefs and atolls can take from 100,000 to 30,000,000 years to fully form.