Ahnd (Ant Atoll)
- ISS002-E-6445
- 24 May 2001
- 22:49 UTC
Ahnd (Ant) is a small atoll formation of Pohnpei State, located 8 km southwest from the outer barrier reefs of its larger neighbour of Pohnpei. The 12 km by 7 km atoll is approximately rectangular in shape consisting of a near continuous outer reef that encloses a deep central lagoon of 74 km² in area. Ahnd, Pohnpei and Pakin are sometimes collectively known as the Senyavin Islands.
The reefs of the north and western sides of the atoll are submerged or awash except in the extreme northwest where a number of small islets are found. The southern rim, by contrast, consists of a near solid line of motu composed of two large elongated islets and 9 smaller islets. This string of islets is broken by the winding, 90 m wide, Tauenai Passage located in the southeast. A single medium sized islet, Nikalap Aru, occupies the eastern rim of the atoll, bringing the total number of islets to 13; the total land area of the atoll is approximately 1.7 km².
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
