Volcanoes happen where liquid rock (magma) erupts through Earth’s crust. This can be caused by movement of the large plates that make up the Earth’s crust, and can also happen at places known as hotspots. Tahiti and the other islands of French Polynesia, the Hawaiian Islands, and Yellowstone National Park are examples of volcanic activity caused by hotspots.

When volcanic islands form in tropical areas, coral reefs can be an important part of island development. On some islands, the limestone rock produced by reef-building corals may completely cover the underlying volcanic rock (the island of Bermuda and the state of Florida are two places where this has happened). Corals are living animals, and coral reefs provide food and shelter to thousands of other plant and animal species. Coral reefs also help protect beaches and shorelines from waves. In places like Teahupo’o, corals help shape the sea bottom to produce the giant plunging breakers seen in The Ultimate Wave Tahiti.

Kelly Slater says that he has seen coral reefs beginning to disappear all over the world. The reason is a combination of pollution, climate change, overfishing, and invasive species that do not normally live in coral reef environments.

For more information about volcanic islands and coral reefs, see The Ultimate Wave Tahiti Educator’s Guide: PDF >>.

If you would like to know what you can do to help save coral reefs, see “Things You Can Do to Protect Coral Reefs,” from NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program: Link >>. You can find directions for making an edible coral reef model here: PDF >>. For ideas about making model volcanoes, visit the Volcano World Web site: Link >>.

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