Despite covering less than 1% of the ocean floor, coral reefs support around 25% of all marine life — earning them the nickname “rainforests of the sea”. A coral reef is a vibrant underwater ecosystem built by tiny marine animals called coral polyps, which belong to the same phylum as jellyfish and sea anemones — Cnidaria.
Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, especially in regions like the Coral Triangle (Southeast Asia). Reefs are not just beautiful — they’re living archives of Earth’s climate, ocean chemistry, and biological evolution. They’ve survived ice ages, volcanic upheavals, and tectonic shifts.
Fossil records from places like Borneo reveal ancient reef ecosystems that thrived in murky, deeper waters, challenging the idea that reefs only flourish in clear, shallow seas.
Pangaea (from Greek pan “all” + gaia “Earth”) was a supercontinent that some eons ago included nearly all of Earth’s landmasses, surrounded by a vast ocean called Panthalassa. Pangaea began to split due to plate tectonics. It first divided into Laurasia (north) and Gondwana (south) and these eventually broke into the continents we know today.
Ocean trenches are the deepest parts of the ocean, forming long, narrow depressions in the seafloor. Ocean trenches make up 45% of the global ocean. They’re found mostly around the Pacific Ocean, especially along the Ring of Fire, where earthquakes and volcanoes are common. The Mariana Trench is the deepest known, plunging over 10,900 meters (35,800 feet) at the Challenger Deep.
Ocean trenches form at convergent plate boundaries, where two tectonic plates collide. Despite extreme conditions—no light, freezing temps, and crushing pressure—trenches host unique ecosystems including Chemotrophic microbes that thrive on chemical reactions from mud volcanoes and cold seeps. Trenches also help recycle Earth’s crust while influencing climate and ocean chemistry. However, plastic pollution and deep-sea mining threaten these fragile ecosystems.
Coral Reefs are abundant near coastal lands that are located by the ocean trenches. The sacred lands that are paired with the deepest ocean trenches are The Mariana Trench-(Southeast Asia), Tonga Trench-(New Zealand)(Australia), Kuri Kamchatka Trench-(Japan), and the Peru-Chile Trench-(West Coast/South America). The islands off the South East coast of Africa-(Madagascar), The Hawaiin Islands and The Carribean islands are places that are abundant with coral reef populations as well.
Madagascar was once part of the supercontinent Gondwana, connected to Africa, India, Antarctica, and Australia. In the modern world, Madasgcar is known as the birth of civilization due to its rich and ancient history. Most importantly, Madagascar is home to over 25,000 animal species, with 90% found nowhere else on Earth. Madagascar boasts over 10,000 plant species.
Madagascar’s long isolation since splitting from Gondwana allowed life to evolve in a completely unique way. It’s often called the “eighth continent” due to its unmatched biodiversity. Madagascar’s coral reefs span over 2,000 km², stretching along 1,400 km of coastline. The region hosts over 369 identified coral species, with estimates suggesting up to 100 more yet to be discovered.
The sacred bond with the coral reef is undeniable. It reminds us that the world is more intertwined than we often acknowledge, that ecosystems extend beyond what our eyes can see, and that early civilizations lived in relationship with nature rather than apart from it.
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