CAY (kee)
A
small, low island consisting mostly of sand or coral Common
clues: Islet;
Small island; Low island; Coral reef; Little island Crossword
puzzle frequency:
once a year Frequency
in English language:
49626 / 86800 Video: Half
Moon Cay, Bahamas
A
cay (also spelled key or quay; all are pronounced alike as "key")
is a small, low island consisting mostly of sand or coral. Cays
often occur in tropical environments, such as the Caribbean, the
Great Barrier Reef and the Belize Barrier Reef.
Heron
Island, Australia
Sand
cays are formed when tidal action, wind and sea birds deposit
coral debris and sand onto reef flats over a long period of time.
These deposits usually occur on the leeward side of the reef, but
occasionally made on the windward side. Weather affects the
formation of cays greatly; large tides would bring much more
debris onto the cay and thus make it larger, while a hurricane
could completely obliterate a cay.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia
article "Cay".
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