Egum Atoll
- STS102-715-8
- 13 March 2001
- 04:59 UTC
Egum Atoll (Egum Reef) is a large, approximately circular-shaped, reef formation measuring 33 km by 20 km. It is located 50 km southwest from the Woodlark Islands and 82 km northeast from Normanby Island (in the D'entrecasteaux Islands). Egum Atoll, although referred to as an atoll by name, is not a true atoll structure. Instead, it is an example of a reef-topped carbonate bank — the nearby Trobriand Islands have formed upon a similar type of structure.
The northern and eastern sides are the most pronounced — where ocean swells break on the outer reef and where one large island (Yanaba Island) and several smaller islets are found. The southern and western sides, by contrast, lie in deeper water (5 to 15 m depth) and have no emergent parts. Near the centre of the deep central lagoon are found four rocky islets surrounded by their own reef systems.
Synonyms: Egum Reef
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
Location Map