Nukuoro

Nukuoro

An isolated atoll of the southwestern reaches of Pohnpei State, Nukuoro is located 302 km north from the remote Kapingamarangi atoll and 475 km southwest from Pohnpei; its closest neighbours are the four atolls of southeastern Chuuk State that form the Lower Mortlock group — Satawan, Etal, Lukonor and Namoluk — situated 208 km to the northwest.

The atoll of Nukuoro is elliptical in outline, with a maximum diameter of 8 km (outer reef edge to opposite outer reef edge) through the east-west axis, covering an area in the region of 40 km². The atoll has a broad rim of 300-700 m in width that is continuos with the exception of a single, narrow pass — the Nukuoro Passage — that cuts through the southeastern section of the rim between the islands of Gausema (on the west) and Senugudai (on the east). The pass leads into an interior lagoon that is surprisingly deep for an atoll of this size, reaching a maximum depth of almost 100 m. A wide shelf around the lagoon perimeter drops sharply to a deep central basin from which emerges a conspicuous, light-coloured coral head (prominent in the above image).

The atoll rim is topped by 44 vegetated islets, with a combined area of 1.7 km². Most of the islets are closely spaced and are located mainly along the northern and eastern sides of atoll; five widely spaced islets are located west of the Nukuoro Passage and are the only land found on the southern rim. The western rim is devoid of any land.

image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center

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