Coral reefs grow at a snail's pace
Coral reefs grow at an astonishingly slow rate of 1 to 10 centimeters per year, highlighting their vulnerability to environmental changes despite supporting vast marine life.
Coral reefs grow incredibly slowly, expanding just 1 to 10 centimeters each year. This gradual pace means these underwater cities, built by tiny polyps secreting calcium carbonate, take immense time to form. For instance, the Great Barrier Reef, stretching over 2,300 kilometers, developed over roughly 500,000 years through this painstaking process.
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