<P> In 1842 in his first monograph , The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs , Charles Darwin set out his theory of the formation of atoll reefs , an idea he conceived during the voyage of the Beagle . He theorized uplift and subsidence of the Earth 's crust under the oceans formed the atolls . Darwin 's theory sets out a sequence of three stages in atoll formation . It starts with a fringing reef forming around an extinct volcanic island as the island and ocean floor subsides . As the subsidence continues , the fringing reef becomes a barrier reef , and ultimately an atoll reef . </P>
<P> In 1842 in his first monograph , The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs , Charles Darwin set out his theory of the formation of atoll reefs , an idea he conceived during the voyage of the Beagle . He theorized uplift and subsidence of the Earth 's crust under the oceans formed the atolls . Darwin 's theory sets out a sequence of three stages in atoll formation . It starts with a fringing reef forming around an extinct volcanic island as the island and ocean floor subsides . As the subsidence continues , the fringing reef becomes a barrier reef , and ultimately an atoll reef . </P>
who discovered the process of coral reef development
who discovered the process of coral reef development
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin