The Great Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye have been designated as Natural Monuments and are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System since 1996. The coral reefs contained within the atoll's lagoon, harbour a remarkable 200 species of fish in a magical setting of changing reef types including shallow reefs, ledges, shelves and drop offs. The atoll is home to over 20 world-renowned dive and snorkel sites, including the Blue Hole, Half Moon Wall and the Aquarium. It is located approximately 80 kms southeast of Belize City.
The Lighthouse Reef Atoll is the most remote of all the atolls in Belize.
#Atoll examples free#
Request a free Belize Adventure Guide here and find out more about our trips to Lighthouse Reef Atoll and Glover’s Reef Atoll. This whole process takes thousands of years to create the actual atoll. Over time, corals grow around the island and the ocean gradually erodes it away, leaving behind a circular reef and a large lagoon. As the seamount builds up and continues to erupt, it rises above the water and becomes an island. The formation of an atoll begins when an underwater volcano erupts, creating a volcanic mountain or seamount under the surface.
As reef building corals thrive only in warm waters, atolls are only found in the tropics and subtropics. The three atolls located off the coast of Belize are Glover’s Reef Atoll, Lighthouse Reef Atoll and Turneffe Atoll.Īn atoll is a ring-shaped island formed of coral that surrounds a lagoon. The fourth atoll is located near Banco Chinchorro in Mexico. Belize is home to three of the four atolls in the Western Hemisphere.
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