342 J. STANLEY GARDINER. 



means protected from the direct force of the waves; (2) where the beach is made up 

 practically entirely of carbonate of lime formations ; (3) where the beach is formed principally 

 of sand and not of masses of rock; and (4) where the beach is at rest so far as growth 

 outwards is concerned or washing away. 



In respect to the first of the above conditions it is necessary that the beach for a sandstone 

 formation to be found should be to a large extent protected from the heavy ocean rollers or 

 the smaller but perhaps more persistent influences of the waves within large atolls. At Maduwari 

 (Fig. ,30) a little sandstone is found to the north of the island at the south side of an incipient 

 lagoon. The beach is, however, protected by the north-east horn of the island, and the velu is 

 as yet both shallow and small. 



Each island, while forming land of a fliro or atoll, has generally its own circumscribing or 

 fringing reefs. If the island be situated on a faro as Hulule, Male atoll, or most of the islands 

 to the west of North Mahlos, the reefs may be on one or all sides far distant and connected 

 rather with the encircling reef of the faro. In all cases such an island lies on the reef, or is 

 joined to the gi-owing part of the reef on one or more sides by a .shallow flat, no velu in the 

 Maldives having even a single isolated island arising within it. The island indeed may have 

 beach sandstone on any of its shores, but on the side towards the velu, unless there is a 

 considerable sand-flat, beach rock is absent. 



Isolated islands, which cover the greater part of their reef such as most of those in 

 Miladumadulu and to the east of North Mahlos, may, where other conditions are favourable, 

 have sandstone on any side. That there should be a definite protecting flat or reef of some 

 sort is, nevertheless, clearly necessary. On the seaward and lagoon ends of most of the encircling 

 islands of Miladumadulu and Mahlos there is generally no sandstone. Sometimes to seaward 

 the shore is rocky, but very generally sand is found of not greater coarseness than that 

 which forms the rock of many of the lagoon islands. A comparison shows that the explanation 

 IS to be sought in the extent of the protection, i.e. in the breadth of the fringing reef 

 Thus on the east or seaward side of the three neighbouring islands of Kenurus, Fainu and 

 Inguradu the reef is respectively about 30, 200 and 60 yards broad, and sandstone is only 

 found on the corresponding shore of the second island. 



The reason that there is no beach rock on the lagoon shores of so many of the encircling 

 islands is very largely the same, particularly in the atolls mentioned above. The fringing reef 

 is generally narrow or almost non-existent, and the sand washes to and fro on the beach with 

 every tide. The whole beach, too, is never at rest nor in one condition for any length of time. 

 The currents on each side of the island in the one monsoon form an eddy behind it, piling 

 up sand, which the other monsoon, sweeping across the atoll lagoon, removes so that the beach 

 IS restored almost to its former state. For the same among other reasons the corals of the 

 shore, alternately nearly killed by the sand and growing vigorously, are off many islands 

 unable to form a definite fringing reef The conditions are best seen on the east and west 

 sides of the atolls, through the passages in which the currents attain their gi'eatest force. 

 Even to the north and south in the more open atolls sandstone is rarely found on the 

 beaches of the islands towards the lagoons. To the south of Mahlosmadulu, however, between 

 Hitadu and Defuri the rock is found just as fi-equently on the lagoon sides of the islands as 

 towards the passages between them. 



The beach in the Maldives is in most places formed almost entirely of carbonate of lime 

 formations. Near villages, where much organic matter is present— from the soaking of coconut 

 husks for coir on the reef-flat, etc.— and in the more enclosed parts of Addu lagoon no rock 



