Google Earth finds new coral reefs

A BLOKE having a shifty at Google Earth has just discovered a previously unlocated coral reef.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Chris Simpson mooching around the coastal waters off the coast of Western Australia from the comfort of his PC when he spotted a splodge in the water.

The splodge, west of the Kimberleys, a remote area in northern Western Australia, turned out to be an extensive formation of fringing coral.

Simpson told his boss that he felt like 'bloody Charles Darwin' when he discovered the new reefs. He probably meant Captain Cook.

Most coral reefs occur as isolated reefs and atolls, such as the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland.

However the reefs that Simpson had found were rare because they can only occur if they are off the coast of an arid location, such as a desert.

So far they have only been found on the Red Sea, and at Ningaloo Marine Park off Western Australia.

People have been a bit reluctant to explore the Kimberleys. It is hard to get to, has turbid waters, massive tides and a large number of crocodiles. Bit like Luton really.

More here. µ