6 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FRINGING REEFS AND BARRIER REEFS
A coral reef is a limestone rock which is made up of skeletons of small living organisms called polyps . The formation of coral reefs is highly attributed to the presence of calcium carbonate in the skeletons of polyps. When the polyps die, their skeletons which contain calcium carbonate are compacted together to form a coral rock . In East Africa, they are only found along the East African coast. there are three types of coral reef namely: fringing reef, barrier reef, and atoll. fringing reefs grow near the coastline around islands and continents. they are separated from the shore by narrow, shallow lagoons. fringing reefs are the most common type of reef. barrier reefs are also parallel to the coastlines but are separated by deeper, wider lagoons. at their shallowest points, they can reach the water's surface forming a barrier to navigation Differences between the fringing reef and barrier reef Fringing reef is joined to the mainland while the barrier reef is separated from t...