The Tuamotu, also once called the Paumotu or Low Archipelago, in the South Pacific represents the largest group of atolls in the world. Under the administration of French Polynesia (q.v.), these islands and reefs extend from 14 to 22°S and 135 to 148°W. They are situated along NW-SE trends between the Society Islands and the Marquesas. There are 78 atolls and one elevated coral island. The underlying oceanic crust in this region is of Cretaceous age.
The largest atoll is Rangiroa (or Rairoa) , 105 km (66 miles) long, which is the administrative center. The raft Kon Tiki(Heyerdahl) landed here on its voyage from Peru. Most of the atolls have multiple rim islands or islets. The more mature ones have eroded limestone, but the younger ones are only sandy cays that are liable to change each time there is a hurricane. The area lies within the belt of the SE trade winds, but northern cyclones are liable to occur in the southern, summer months (December–March). Rangiroa is reported to have...
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© 1975 Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, Inc.
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Fairbridge, R.W., Chevalier, JP. (1975). Tuamotu islands . In: World Regional Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-31081-1_110
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