Definition
A coral cay is a reef island formed from biogenic sediments derived from the adjacent reef. Cays form where sediments produced on the reef are transported by tidal currents and refracted waves to a focal point on the reef top where they accumulate. Although cays can be large features, many square kilometers in area, most are relatively small and low-lying, rarely rising more than 3.0–4.0 m above sea level. Most cays are dominated by sand and/or rubble or shingle-sized sediments. Cays begin as subtidal or intertidal banks, but they may later accrete above sea level. Cays are initially unvegetated and unconsolidated, but in time they may develop soils, acquire a vegetation cover, and become partially lithified (not necessarily in that order).
Because cays are formed of largely unconsolidated sediments, they may remain mobile and unstable, particularly where the focal point of refracted waves and sediment deposition is sensitive to small changes in wave direction, either due to...
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Smithers, S., Hopley, D. (2018). Cays. In: Finkl, C., Makowski, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Coastal Science . Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48657-4_63-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48657-4_63-2
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