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Toke Atoll

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Toke Atoll

Toke Atoll or Taka Atoll (Marshallese: Tōkā, [tˠʌɡæ]) is a small, uninhabited coral atoll in the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. It is one of the smaller atolls in the Marshalls and located at 11°17′N 169°37′E / 11.283°N 169.617°E / 11.283; 169.617. It is visited regularly by the residents of nearby Utirik Atoll.

The atoll is 160 kilometers (100 mi) north of Majuro Atoll, the capital of the Marshall Islands, and 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) southwest of Utirik Atoll. It comprises six islands with a combined land area of 0.57 square kilometers (0.22 sq mi) and a lagoon area of 93.1 square kilometers (35.96 sq mi).

The atoll is roughly triangular in shape, its length and width approximately 9 miles (14 kilometers). The highest point is 15 feet (4.6 meters) above sea level. The small land area is the second smallest in the Marshalls, besting only Bikar. Among its islets, only Toke, Eluk, and Lojrong are large enough to support permanent vegetation. The other sand islets have shown considerable shifting in size and location over the years. Ground water sampled from the midsection of Toke islet is brackish, with chloride levels of 440 to 840 ppm (compared to 19400 ppm for sea water) With a moderately shallow lagoon and single, deep, narrow western passage through the reef, Toke and its neighbor Utirik are an intermediate atoll type between the shallow, perched lagoons of Bokak and Bikar, and the deep lagoons and many reef passages of the central Marshall atolls.

Based on the results of drilling operations on Enewetak (Eniwetok) Atoll, in the nearby Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands, Toke may include as much as 1,400 meters (4,600 ft) of reef material atop a basalt rock base. As most local coral growth stops at about 46 meters (150 ft) below the ocean surface, such a massive stony coral base suggests a gradual isostatic subsidence of the underlying extinct volcano, which itself rises 3,000 meters (10,000 ft) from the surrounding ocean floor. Shallow water fossils taken from just above Enewetak's basalt base are dated to about 55 mya.

Soils are ultimately based on storm-driven ridges of coral rubble, standing 0.61 to 1.22 meters (2 to 4 ft) high. Away from the shorelines, soils are primarily sandy. A thick layer of humus with a phosphate hardpan lies under the Pisonia forests.

Toke is moderately dry, with annual precipitation in the range of 1,500–1,800 millimeters (60–70 in). Air temperature is usually near 28 °C (82 °F). The prevailing trade winds are from the northeast. Rainfall in the Marshalls is primarily influenced by the equatorial front, which expands seasonally to 11 degrees north. To the north of that zone, rainfall quickly falls off. A quarter degree further north of Toke, annual rainfall at Enewetak Atoll is 1,200 millimeters (49 in) per year.

Facing the lagoon shore, about a quarter of Toke islet is planted in coconuts with a thick ground cover of Microsorum scolopendria. There is a small grove of Pisonia grandis, while the rest of the islet is covered with brushy woods of Heliotropium foertherianum, Portulaca oleracea, and Pandanus tectorius, fringed by Lepturus repens grasses, Laportea ruderalis shrubs, Boerhavia diffusa, B. tetrandra and other typical Marshallese species. There is also a tiny grove of Pisonia on Lojiron.

Toke supports a healthy coral reef, with over 93 coral types identified. Evidence of green sea turtle nesting has been found on the three largest islets, and hawksbill sea turtles have been seen along the outer reef. The lagoon is home to the rare giant clam Tridacna gigas, as well as smaller giant clam varieties. The number of specimens is lower than that seen at Bokak and Bikar, perhaps because of poaching by foreign fishermen.

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