A low island is, in geology (and sometimes in archaeology), an island of coral origin. The term applies whether the island was formed as a result of sedimentation upon a coral reef or of the uplifting of such islands. The term is used to distinguish such islands from high islands, whose origins are volcanic.

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  • A low island is, in geology (and sometimes in archaeology), an island of coral origin. The term applies whether the island was formed as a result of sedimentation upon a coral reef or of the uplifting of such islands. The term is used to distinguish such islands from high islands, whose origins are volcanic. This distinction is important to understand, as there are some low islands, such as Makatea, Nauru, Niue and Banaba, which rise several hundred feet above sea level, while a number of high islands rise no more than a few feet above sea level, often classified as "rocks". Low islands are the kind of islands which ring the lagoons of atolls. The two types of islands are often found in proximity to each other, especially among the islands of the South Pacific Ocean, where low islands are found on the fringing reefs that surround most high islands. Low islands have poor, sandy soil and little fresh water, which makes them difficult to farm. They don't support human inhabitation as well as high islands. The people that do live on low islands survive by mostly fishing.
  • Met een laag eiland wordt binnen de geologie (en soms binnen de archeologie) een eiland aangeduid dat haar oorsprong in het koraal heeft. De term is van toepassing op eilanden die zijn ontstaan als gevolg van sedimentatie op een koraalrif of door de opheffing. De term wordt gebruikt om deze eilanden te onderscheiden van "hoge eilanden", die zijn ontstaan door vulkanische activiteit. Dit onderscheid is van belang vanwege het feit dat er "lage eilanden" zijn, zoals Makatea, Nauru, Niue en Banaba, die tot enkele tientallen meters uitstijgen boven het zeeniveau, terwijl een aantal "hoge eilanden" niet meer dan een aantal voet uitsteken boven het zeeniveau en vaak worden geclassificeerd als "rotsen". Lage eilanden liggen in een ring rondom de lagunes van atollen. De beide eilandsoorten worden vaak in de nabijheid van elkaar gevonden, vooral bij de eilanden in de zuidelijke Grote Oceaan, waar de lage eilanden op de koraalriffen liggen die om de meeste hoge eilanden heen liggen.
  • Ilha baixa é, em geologia e por vezes em arqueologia, uma ilha de origem coralina. O termo aplica-se quer a ilha se tenha formado por sedimentação sobre um recife de coral, quer devido a episódios de levantamento tectónico nessas ilhas. O termo é utilizado para distinguir estas das chamadas ilhas elevadas, de origem vulcânica. A relevância da compreensão desta distinção é importante, na medida em que existem várias "ilhas elevadas" que não se elevam mais que alguns metros acima do nível do mar (por vezes classificadas de ilhéus). Por outro lado, algumas "ilhas baixas" de coral, como Makatea, Nauru, Niue, Henderson e Banaba foram tectonicamente levantadas algumas centenas de metros acima do nível do mar. Os dois tipos de ilha são geralmente encontrados na proximidade um do outro, em especial entre as ilhas do Pacífico Sul, onde ilhas baixas são frequentemente encontradas nos recifes de coral que circundam a maior parte das ilhas elevadas. As ilhas que formam os anéis de atóis (chamadas de motus na Polinésia Francesa são deste tipo. As "ilhas baixas" têm um solo arenoso e pobre em nutrientes, onde a água potável é muito escassa, tornando a agricultura muito difícil. Não constituem, por isso, um local de habitação tão estável como as "ilhas elevadas", pelo que as populações que aí habitam, dedicam-se essencialmente à pesca.
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  • March 2008
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  • A low island is, in geology (and sometimes in archaeology), an island of coral origin. The term applies whether the island was formed as a result of sedimentation upon a coral reef or of the uplifting of such islands. The term is used to distinguish such islands from high islands, whose origins are volcanic.
  • Met een laag eiland wordt binnen de geologie (en soms binnen de archeologie) een eiland aangeduid dat haar oorsprong in het koraal heeft. De term is van toepassing op eilanden die zijn ontstaan als gevolg van sedimentatie op een koraalrif of door de opheffing. De term wordt gebruikt om deze eilanden te onderscheiden van "hoge eilanden", die zijn ontstaan door vulkanische activiteit.
  • Ilha baixa é, em geologia e por vezes em arqueologia, uma ilha de origem coralina. O termo aplica-se quer a ilha se tenha formado por sedimentação sobre um recife de coral, quer devido a episódios de levantamento tectónico nessas ilhas. O termo é utilizado para distinguir estas das chamadas ilhas elevadas, de origem vulcânica.
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  • Low island
  • Laag eiland
  • Ilha baixa (geologia)
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