Huge coral reef discovered at Amazon river mouth

Scientists astonished to find 600-mile long reef under the muddy water in a site already marked for oil exploration

A huge 3,600 sq mile (9,300 sq km) coral reef system has been found below the muddy waters off the mouth of the river Amazon, astonishing scientists, governments and oil companies who have started to explore on top of it.

The existence of the 600-mile long reef, which ranges from about 30-120m deep and stretches from French Guiana to Brazil's MaranhaIfo state, was not suspected because many of the world's great rivers produce major gaps in reef systems where no corals grow.