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Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs are two reefs located in the Tasman Sea. They are separated by a deep oceanic pass measuring 45 km. They are 95 km from Lord Howe Island and 555 km from New South Wales coastline of Australia. Since 1997, the reefs have been included in the Coral Sea Islands Territory.
The two reefs are platform reefs and are the southern most platform reefs in the world. However, the high latitude still allows a wide variety of flora and fauna to grow on the island and in the water. This is due to their location which is where tropical and temperate ocean currents converge.
Middleton reef is slightly larger being 8.9 km by 6.3 km. The slightly smaller Elizabeth reef measures 8.2 km by 5.5 km. They are both similar shapes.
The reefs are usually submerged however during low tide the majority of the reef flat is exposed. In high tide, only one cay on each reef is visible however are only visible for one metre above the sea level. The cay on Elizabeth reef is called Elizabeth Island and has diameter of approximately 400 metres. The smaller cay, which is located on Middleton reef, is called The Sound and is 100 m by 70 m.