[ Pioneer Bank | Raita Bank | Gardner Pinnacles | Twin Banks ]
The submerged banks of the Northwest Hawaiian islands are an expanse of habitat supporting a wide range of coral reef organisms. The banks that have been at least partially mapped are listed above, but there are many other banks in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, including Nero Seamount, Ladd Seamount, and Gambia Shoal, that have not yet been mapped with multibeam surveys.
Pioneer Bank
Pioneer Bank, lies immediately east of Lisianski Island and encompasses approximately 1,544 sq. km of submerged coral reef habitat. Its minimum depth is only 25 m, but as a lesser bank with no protective lee from which to launch boats, the bank top (< 100 m) has yet to be surveyed using a high-resolution multibeam echosounder.
Bathymetry |
Backscatter Imagery
Not yet available
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Optical Validation
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Geomorphology
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Raita Bank
Raita Bank, also including approximately 1,544 sq. km of submerged coral reef habitat, lies immediately west of Lisianski Island. Its minimum depth is only 16 m, but as a lesser bank with no protective lee from which to launch boats, the bank top (< 100 m) has yet to be surveyed using a high-resolution multibeam echosounder.
Bathymetry
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Backscatter Imagery
Not yet available
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Optical Validation |
Geomorphology
Not yet available
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Gardner Pinnacles
Gardner Pinnacles, lying between French Frigate Shoals and Maro Reef, have the smallest landmass of all the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. As the Hawaiian Islands are carried northwestward by the movement of the Pacific Plate on which they rest, they slowly subside, eventually disappearing underwater. Gardner is the northernmost emergent basalt rock in the Hawaiian Archipelago, the basalt of the more northerly islands and reefs having disappeared underwater. Despite its small size above water, the submerged bank reef surrounding Gardner is the largest in the entire chain, at 2,446 sq. km.
Bathymetry |
Backscatter Imagery
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Optical Validation |
Geomorphology
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Twin Banks
Twin Banks, These unnamed twin banks lie between Necker and Nihoa Islands and each encompass about 500 sq. km. of submerged coral reef habitat.
Bathymetry |
Backscatter Imagery
Not yet available
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Optical Validation
Not yet available
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Geomorphology
Not yet available
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