Coral Skeletons: An Explanation of Their Growth and Structure
- 18 December 1970
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 170 (3964) , 1305-1308
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.170.3964.1305
Abstract
Coral skeletons are constructed of aragonitic crystals organized into fan systems. A theoretical model for the growth of such fan systems, which depends upon competition between crystals for space in which to grow, is corroborated by vital staining with sodium alizarinesulfonate. Fan systems of crystals compete with each other to form larger fan systems until large, relatively stable fans are produced. It is these relatively stable fan systems that have been observed in optical thin sections of coral skeletons.Keywords
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