Coral Reefs

By Charles Darwin and Thomas George 1833-1923 Bonney

Book Overview

In this Charles Darwin essay the subject of corals and coral-reefs is one concerning which much popular misconception has always prevailed. The misleading comparison of coral-rock with the combs of bees and the nests of wasps is perhaps responsible for much of this misunderstanding; one writer has indeed described a coral-reef as being "built by fishes by means of their teeth."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1508949069
• ISBN13: 9781508949060
• Release Date: March 2015
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 194 Pages
• Weight: 0.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Darwin's first great achievement

On the voyage of the Beagle--before he had ever seen a coral reef--Darwin had deduced an explanation of the geological processes that created them by applying Charles Lyell's explanation of uplift and subsidence. Accordingly, he posited that the Chilean coast had been rising while the ocean floor was subsiding. When he finally explored some barrier reefs, he knew that since the polyps could not live deeper than 120 feet, and all the coral below that was dead, the confirmation of the reefs' great depth was evidence of subsidence--a theory that has stood the test of time. This is an attractive and affordable edition of Darwin's treatise.