SplendidSands

   Nha Trang Bay, on the south-central coast of Vietnam hosts a major port and is a tourist destination famous for its beaches and scuba diving. Just offshore, the 160 km2 Hon Mun Islands Marine Protected Area supports globally important examples of Vietnam’s coral reef, mangrove and sea grass ecosystems. The value of these biological resources is being analyzed amid concerns about port expansion.

   In this reef-derived sample, foraminifera are well represented: ram’s-horn, seed and coin shapes bear distinctive growth chambers. Bivalves are present as thin shards, and the near circular fans with radiating ridges are small clam shells. Miniature gastropods range from elongated spirals, such as those near 10 o’clock, to compact ones such as the limpet and moon snail at 7 o’clock. The elongate white fragment with pores is a bryozoan skeleton. A tiny chunk of urchin test sits in the lower left corner.