ABSTRACT
Most of the 34 atolls among the islands of Fiji are on the elongated Lau Ridge, a remnant volcanic island arc rising more than 3,000 m above the surrounding sea floor. Several others occur to the north of the Lau Ridge, in the Ringgold Islands associated with the Fijian Plateau and the larger Fijian Islands. Three additional atolls are found to the west of the Lau Ridge including Ceva-I-Ra, a small atoll located about 675 km to the west of the others. The rims of the Fijian atolls are mostly submerged and many lack islands. Pitman Reef, the smallest atoll in the Fijian group and with a platform area of 2.1 km2, is also one of the smallest in the world. The Fijian Archipelago is predominantly within the flow of the South Equatorial Current from the northeast. The east-southeasterly trade winds additionally influence this area. The most energetic waves in the south are from the southwest, but farther north, waves can come from varied directions. Tides range from 1.7 m in the north to 1.5 m in the south.
