The Mysterious Origins of The Great Barrier Reef May Finally Be Explained

Australia's Great Barrier Reef might not have come to be had it not been for the creation of a large island.

Fraser Island, also known as K'gari, is the world's largest sand island, covering over one thousand square miles.

The forested dunes and beaches of the Cooloola Sand Mass form an unofficial base to the vast reef that sits to its north.

Researchers think the sand would have landed on the reef if the launching pad had not formed.

Coral development is dependent on the smothering of carbonate-rich sands.

The formation of the world's largest coral reef would not have been possible without the help of K'gari.

There's a confusing origin story for the Great Barrier Reef. Conditions were appropriate for the growth of coral when it formed.

Researchers have been looking for a lost piece. The land mass on the island is thought to have been formed between 1.2 and 0.7 million years ago.

The southern and central parts of the great barrier reef were given a reprieve when the island was present.

The emergence of K'gari and Cooloola can be traced back to the south.

Researchers theorize that during periods of ice formation and fluctuations in sea levels, the world's debris became exposed. During periods of ice melt and rising oceans, the debris got caught up in the currents

A long northward treadmill of soil and sand could be found along the east coast of Australia.

This is where K'gari and Cooloola can be found because of the slope off the southern coast ofQueensland.

Coral reefs are not present just south of the sand mass.

Researchers think that the northward currents here are too strong. The long distance dispersal is stopped by K'gari and Cooloola.

The southern and central Great Barrier Reef would have been affected by northward longshore transport before Fraser Island was developed.

This idea is supported by records from the Great Barrier Reef. There appears to have been an increase in carbonate content in the region.

At least two-thirds of the Great Barrier Reef seems to owe it's existence to a wall of sand to the south.

The authors argue that the development of Fraser Island reduced the supply of sand to the north.

The southern and central Great Barrier Reef needed this in order to be developed.

The study was published in a scientific journal.