Mururoa atoll

Abstract

Mururoa is an open atoll and exhibits low coral diversity (about 50 species). Drilling investigations revealed that the maximal thickness of the carbonate pile ranges between 500 and 220 m. The lowermost part of the pile is late Miocene in age. The typical atoll morphology is likely to have been acquired not before the late Pliocene. During the Pleistocene, and especially the last 300 ka, the outer rim has accreted seawards through a series of stacked fringing-like reef bodies. The carbonate deposits have experienced intense diagenetic alteration by fresh water during successive low sea stands.