Origin of Blue Hole Structures in Coral Reefs: Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia

The distinctive blue hole terrains of the Houtman Abrolhos reef complex have been previously interpreted as the result of karst processes controlling Holocene reef growth and morphology. The apparent intensity of karst modification,indicated by the abundance and density of blue holes, steered the ge...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wyrwoll, K., Zhu, Z., Collins, Lindsay, Hatcher, B.
Format: Journal Article
Published: CERF 2006
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/29612
_version_ 1848752851303530496
author Wyrwoll, K.
Zhu, Z.
Collins, Lindsay
Hatcher, B.
author_facet Wyrwoll, K.
Zhu, Z.
Collins, Lindsay
Hatcher, B.
author_sort Wyrwoll, K.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The distinctive blue hole terrains of the Houtman Abrolhos reef complex have been previously interpreted as the result of karst processes controlling Holocene reef growth and morphology. The apparent intensity of karst modification,indicated by the abundance and density of blue holes, steered the general perception of the reef complex as one that was stressed and marginal for Holocene coral growth. This view is commensurate with the high-latitude location (288 298 S) of the reefs. Through an investigation of the reef morphology, litho and seismic stratigraphy, and the growth chronology of these reef complexes, we demonstrate that the blue hole terrains of the Houtman Abrolhos are not karst features but are growth forms that are characteristic of these reefs.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T08:15:11Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-29612
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T08:15:11Z
publishDate 2006
publisher CERF
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-296122017-09-13T15:53:34Z Origin of Blue Hole Structures in Coral Reefs: Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia Wyrwoll, K. Zhu, Z. Collins, Lindsay Hatcher, B. Indian Ocean karst Holocene Coral reef morphology The distinctive blue hole terrains of the Houtman Abrolhos reef complex have been previously interpreted as the result of karst processes controlling Holocene reef growth and morphology. The apparent intensity of karst modification,indicated by the abundance and density of blue holes, steered the general perception of the reef complex as one that was stressed and marginal for Holocene coral growth. This view is commensurate with the high-latitude location (288 298 S) of the reefs. Through an investigation of the reef morphology, litho and seismic stratigraphy, and the growth chronology of these reef complexes, we demonstrate that the blue hole terrains of the Houtman Abrolhos are not karst features but are growth forms that are characteristic of these reefs. 2006 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/29612 10.2112/05A-0015.1 CERF restricted
spellingShingle Indian Ocean
karst
Holocene
Coral reef morphology
Wyrwoll, K.
Zhu, Z.
Collins, Lindsay
Hatcher, B.
Origin of Blue Hole Structures in Coral Reefs: Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia
title Origin of Blue Hole Structures in Coral Reefs: Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia
title_full Origin of Blue Hole Structures in Coral Reefs: Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia
title_fullStr Origin of Blue Hole Structures in Coral Reefs: Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia
title_full_unstemmed Origin of Blue Hole Structures in Coral Reefs: Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia
title_short Origin of Blue Hole Structures in Coral Reefs: Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia
title_sort origin of blue hole structures in coral reefs: houtman abrolhos, western australia
topic Indian Ocean
karst
Holocene
Coral reef morphology
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/29612