Mangareva
- ISS004-E-6295
- 16 January 2002
- 21:06 UTC
Mangareva is the main member of the group known as the Gambier Islands. The name Mangareva refers to both the large island-barrier reef complex and to its main island of Mangareva.
Located in the far southeast of the archipelago, Mangareva is unlike any of the other island formations of the Tuamotu Archipelago — so much so that the Gambier Islands are often treated as a separate group. Mangareva is a collection of rugged high islands of volcanic origin enclosed within a single barrier reef of around 60 km in circumference. The entire edifice is located on a platform that is subsiding rapidly on the southern and eastern sides (note the submerged barrier reef in the image, that only becomes emergent in the north).
Within the barrier reef are a several large and mountainous islands, including: Agakau-i-tai, Akamaru (2 km²), Aukena (1.5 km²), Kamaka (0.5 km²), Makaroa (0.2 km²) Mangareva (14 km²), and Taravai (5.3 km²). The barrier reef in the north and east has a number of small motu. In all, there are 14 islands with a total land area of 31 km².
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
