An underwater rock is a reef (the Dutch word rif is a rib), which indicates the elevation of the seabed in shallow water. They are underwater or surface. The first occur if the destruction of the rocky coast occurs, or as a result of the life of a colony of coral microorganisms.
In geography and oceanography, the term "reef" means a narrow, often rocky, aground, which is a danger to navigation. With changes in sea level (low tides, tides), it is indicated by buranas.
Origin
Underwater rocks (reefs) are formed as a result of the so-called abiotic processes, when sand deposition, erosion processes of mountain structures, volcanic activity, etc. become their sources.
However, the most famous underwater cliffs are coral reefs in tropical latitudes. They arise as a result of the growth of colonies of microorganisms (reef-forming), of which the main ones are coral polyps.
However, polyps, mostly living in tropical seas, are not the only structures that can build underwater reef rocks. In marine environments, many other invertebrate organisms create similar formations.
Due to the fact that the main builders of underwater rocks are coral algae and organisms, the term “reef” has also been used in geology. There, this word denotes paleontological rocks that were formed by organisms with calcareous skeletons.
So, in different time periods of the Earth’s history, the main reef builders were a variety of organisms. But they all used common strategies for collective defense against enemies and food. If environmental conditions began to change, then the zones of reef distribution and the speed of their construction also changed.
Underwater rock in one word
Contemporaries know the ratio “underwater rock - reef” due to the use of this pair in crosswords and crosswords. Usually the following questions are to be answered as “reef”:
- invisible rock;
- unforeseen sea obstacle;
- a cliff lurking beneath the surface of the sea, a danger to shipping, etc.