Bassas da India Atoll: A Biological Structure You Can See From Orbit
Bassas da India Atoll — NASA
Editor’s note: Atolls are formed in several ways when a rocky feature becomes surrounded by a coral reefs sea levels change, and the rocky structure then erodes – while the reef remains.
Nearly halfway between Madagascar and Mozambique lies the Bassas da India atoll in the Mozambique Channel. The uninhabited ring-shaped island spans roughly 330 feet (~100 meters) around a shallow lagoon. The International Space Station was soaring 260 miles above as this photo was taken.
iss071e111610 (May 23, 2024) — larger image
Astrobiology
