Bellona Reefs
- MODIS image
- date unknown
The Bellona Reefs, situated 60 km south from the Chesterfield Reefs and some 500 km westwards from New Caledonia, consist of a large oval-shaped platform — that is for the most part submerged — measuring some 180 km in length and up to 80 km in width. There are only six or so areas around the edge of the Bellona Plateau where reefs break the surface (see large size image). The reefs are claimed by New Caledonia (itself a French territory) and are sometimes treated as being part of the Chesterfield Group.
There are three main components to the reefs — South Bellona, Middle Bellona and North West Bellona. In addition there are a number of smaller reefs located around the edge of the plateau: Olry Reef in the southeast, Booby Reef in the northwest, and some small reefs located around Minerva Shoal.
The South Bellona Reefs consist of two main reefs and a small detached reef — the only emergent parts of a much larger and mostly submerged formation that forms the southern portions of the Bellona Plateau. Both reefs consist of a reef crest with a broad reef flat on the windward side and completely enclose shallow lagoons. They are separated by a shallow channel of around 700 m in width. The Middle Bellona Reefs are located around 60 km northwest of South Bellona Reef. Located off the northwestern end of Middle Bellona Reef is the small Observatory Cay (Caie de'l'Observatoire). The North West Bellona Reefs are located a farther 50 km to the northwest consisting of two main units.
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
