The Lord Howe seamount chain on the western margin of Zealandia some 580 km off the east coast of Australia provides a suitable habitat for the growth of the southernmost coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean. The shelves around Middleton Reef, Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid represent carbonate depositional environments where calcareous microfossils are common and generally well preserved. While many of the organisms were originally carried to the islands by an offshoot from the East Australian Current, thus having many species in common with eastern Australia, the islands also exhibit a number of endemic species that have evolved locally over the last 6.5 million years.
The islands are now home to rich and well diversified foraminiferal, ostracod and micro-molluscan fauna, which have not been fully documented previously. This book provides an atlas of the microfossils from lagoonal, beach, shallow near-shore and deeper shelf environments around Middleton Reef, Lord Howe Island and Ball
Ian Richards decades-long career began when he joined the Royal Australian Naval College in 1944 at the age of 13 – despite suffering chronic seasickness.
Taranaki s gruelling trans-Tasman yacht race makes its return stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.