Definition of great barrier reef Great barrier reef
Great Bar•ri•er Reef
We found 2 definitions of great barrier reef from 2 different sources.
Advertising
What does great barrier reef mean?
WordNet
Noun |
||
| great barrier reef - the largest coral reef in the world; in the Coral Sea off the northeastern coast of Australia | ||
| australia a nation occupying the whole of the Australian continent; Aboriginal tribes are thought to have migrated from southeastern Asia 20,000 years ago; first Europeans were British convicts sent there as a penal colony | ||
= synonym
= antonym
= related word
= antonym
= related word
Wikipedia 
-
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef. It is located close to the coast of Queensland, Australia. It is 2,300 km long. It is made up of nearly 3000 coral reefs and over 600 islands. It has been listed an important World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest structure made by living things. It can be seen from outer space.
Captain Cook.
James Cook discovered the reef on 11 June 1770. His ship the Endeavour crashed into the reef. The coral ripped a large hole in the bottom of his ship. Cook and the crew were able to keep the ship from sinking. They were able to get the ship onto a beach at what is now called Cooktown. His crew took 7 weeks to repair the ship and continue the voyage.
Geology.
The Reef Research Centre has found the remains of coral that are half a million years old. Corals have been growing in the region for as long as 25 million years. The corals have not always formed coral reefs.
It is difficult to work out the age of the Great Barrier Reef. This is because of the way a reef can grow and shrink as the sea level changes. A coral reef can grow in diameter, that is how wide they are, from 1 to 2 cm per year. They can also grow upwards from 1 to 15 cm per year. Coral can't grow if the water is too deep (150 metres or more) because it needs light from the sun. They cannot grow out of the water (above sea level).
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Australian Institute of Marine Science say the current, living
