Nukutipipi
- ISS002-E-9203
- 13 July 2001
- 00:26 UTC
The southeasternmost atoll of the Îles de Duc de Gloucester group, Nukutipipi is a small atoll of 5.6 km² in area, located 22 km southeast from its nearest neighbour of Anuanurunga. The atoll measures 3.5 km in length (northwest to southeast) and is up to 2 km across — making it the smallest of the Îles de Duc de Gloucester group and one of the smallest of the entire archipelago.
The north and northwestern sides of Nukutipipi are topped by two motu — the largest measuring 2.7 km in length and the smaller measuring 0.67 km — separated by a 150 m wide channel. The southern side of the atoll consists of submerged shallow reef flats over which the ocean swells break. The small central lagoon of 2.2 km², measuring 1.5 km across, is mostly shallow with depths of less than 2 m being common. Its northern sections contain a smaller and deeper basin of around 100 ha in area where depths of up to 17 m are found.
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center