ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science

How a giant mass of floating volcano rock could help the Great Coral Reef

A giant raft of light rocks is heading towards Australia -- and that's a good thing.

Mihai AndreibyMihai Andrei
August 27, 2019
in Environment, Geology, Oceanography, Science
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

The city-sized island is made of pumice — a volcanic rock so porous and light that it floats on water. It stretches over 150 square km (58 square miles) and was produced in an underwater eruption near the island of Tonga.

Pumice islands such as this one are not uncommon in the area, though this one is unusually large. The giant formation was first spotted by satellite imagery on the water’s surface on August 9th, confirmed by sailors in the area. But the most remarkable observations came from the crew of the Australian adventure catamaran ROAM. As ROAM found itself surrounded by a sea of floating rocks “completely covering the ocean surface”.

“Rubble slick made up of rocks from marble to basketball size such that water was not visible,” the sailors wrote in a Facebook post. “The rubble slick went as far as we could see in the moonlight and with our spotlight.”

Shannon Lenz, another sailor working in the area, also captured the stunning phenomenon and posted a video on Youtube.

“We sailed through a pumice field for 6–8 hours, much of the time there was no visible water,” Lenz wrote. “It was like ploughing through a field. We figured the pumice was at least 6 inches thick.”

By now, you’re probably wondering what this has to do with the Great Coral Reef. As the stone island drifts towards Australia, it will become home to countless marine creatures, Queensland University of Technology geologist Scott Bryan says.

“There’s probably billions to trillions of pieces of pumice all floating together and each piece of pumice is a vehicle for some marine organism,” Bryan said. “When it gets here, it’ll be covered in a whole range of organisms of algae and barnacles and corals and crabs and snails and worms.”

“This is a potential mechanism for restocking the Great Barrier Reef,” he adds. “Based on past pumice raft events we have studied over the last 20 years, it’s going to bring new healthy corals and other reef dwellers to the Great Barrier Reef.”

In other words, the pumice island could act as a traveling ecosystem, ultimately restocking the reef with healthy microorganisms and even corals, something which the Great Reef desperately needs. More than half of the reef has been destroyed by bleaching events, as a result of rising temperatures and ocean acidification. While this sort of event (and local intervention) can reduce or delay the damage, without an accompanying shift in global trends — the Great Barrier Reef is probably doomed.

It’s up to each and every one of us to bring forth that change.

RelatedPosts

Australia allows 1 million tons of sludge to be spilled into Great Coral Reef
Sadly, cryogenics may be the key to saving the Great Barrier Reef (with video)
Help NASA save the ocean’s corals by playing a new video game
Coral taller than the Empire State Building found in the Great Barrier Reef
Tags: great barrier reef

Share27TweetShare
Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Dr. Andrei Mihai is a geophysicist and founder of ZME Science. He has a Ph.D. in geophysics and archaeology and has completed courses from prestigious universities (with programs ranging from climate and astronomy to chemistry and geology). He is passionate about making research more accessible to everyone and communicating news and features to a broad audience.

Related Posts

Climate

The fourth “mass bleaching” event is ongoing in the Great Barrier Reef, says Australian Government

byAlexandru Micu
3 years ago
Biology

Table corals have an important role to play in reef recovery, but they’re also quite vulnerable

byAlexandru Micu
4 years ago
Environment

Coral taller than the Empire State Building found in the Great Barrier Reef

byTibi Puiu
5 years ago
News

Help NASA save the ocean’s corals by playing a new video game

byJordan Strickler
5 years ago

Recent news

The Worm That Outsourced Locomotion to Its (Many) Butts

May 16, 2025

The unusual world of Roman Collegia — or how to start a company in Ancient Rome

May 16, 2025
Merton College, University of Oxford. Located in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK. Original public domain image from Wikimedia Commons

For over 500 years, Oxford graduates pledged to hate Henry Symeonis. So, who is he?

May 16, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.