Focus on Sedimentary Environments

Pleistocene coral reef

Windley Key Quarries, Florida Keys, USA


	Coral colony in cross section


	Oblique view of column or finger-shaped colonial coral


	View of coral colony from above

Interpreting the environmental energy

Look carefully at the form of the coral colonies in the images above. Do they represent delicate structures which could survive only in calm conditions, or robust structures which could withstand high energy, such as in or close to the surf zone?

Before answering this question, check back to previous images, to see what additional information there may be for the energy of the environment.