Padre Island sand dunes.

Padre Island map, showing the Laguna Madre waters enclosed along the south Texas coast. The Laguna Madre is the name of two long shallow bays along the western coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the United States and Mexico Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State.

Padre Island (the world's longest barrier island) is part of the U.S. state of Texas. A shoal or sandbar (also called sandbank) is a somewhat Linear Landform within or extending into a body of Water, The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The island is located on Texas' southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and is famous for its white sandy beaches at the south end. The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world It is named after Padre José Nicolás Ballí (c. 1770-1829),^[1] who served as collector of finances for all the churches in the Rio Grande Valley and founded the first Mission in present Cameron County. For the game see 1829 (board game. Year 1829 ( MDCCCXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display The Rio Grande Valley is an area located in the southernmost tip of Texas. Cameron County is the southernmost County located in the US state of Texas.

Padre Island is some 130 miles (210 kilometers) long, stretching from the city of Corpus Christi, in the north, to the resort community of South Padre Island in the south. Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U South Padre Island is a resort community in Cameron County, Texas, United States. The island is oriented generally north-south, with the Gulf of Mexico on the east, and Laguna Madre on the west. The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world The Laguna Madre is the name of two long shallow bays along the western coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the United States and Mexico The island's northern end connects to Mustang Island by roadway. Mustang Island is a Barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Texas in the United States. The southern end of the island is separated from Brazos Island by the Brazos Santiago Pass. Brazos Island is a Barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Texas in the United States, south of the town of South Padre Island.

The towns of South Padre Island and Port Isabel are located on its southern end, but the island as a whole is sparsely populated. Port Isabel is a city located in Cameron County Texas. It is part of the Brownsville &ndash Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area. The central part of the island is preserved in a natural wild state as Padre Island National Seashore. Padre Island National Seashore (PAIS is a National Seashore located on Padre Island off the coast of South Texas. Since 1964, the island has been divided by the artificial Port Mansfield Channel, and as a result, the terms "North Padre Island" and "South Padre Island" are often used to refer to the separate portions of the island. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. Padre Island is located in Cameron, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, and Willacy counties. Cameron County is the southernmost County located in the US state of Texas. Kenedy County is a County located in the US state of Texas. It is part of the Kingsville Micropolitan Statistical Area. Kleberg County is a County located in the US state of Texas. In 2000 its population was 31549 Nueces County is a County located in the US state of Texas. As of 2000 the population was 313645 Willacy County is a County located in the US state of Texas. In of 2000 its population was 20082

History

When Padre Balli owned the island, it was known as the Isla de Santiago land grant. ^[1] (Padre Balli also owned La Feria grant, the Las Castañas grant, part of the Llano Grande grant, and the Guadalupe grant. ) Padre Island had been granted to his grandfather, Nicolás Ballí in 1759, by King Carlos III of Spain, and Padre Ballí requested a clear title to the property in 1827. ^[1] He was the first person to have the island surveyed and was the first settler who brought families to the island. He also built the first church on the island for the conversion of the Karankawa Indians and for the benefit of the settlers. The Karankawa (also Karankawan, Clamcoëhs, and called in their language Auia) were a group of Native American peoples now Extinct ^[1] About 26 miles north of the island's southern tip, the priest founded the town of El Rancho Santa Cruz de Buena Vista (later known as Lost City), where he also kept cattle, horses, and mules. ^[1]

Ballí died on April 16, 1829, and was buried near Matamoros. ^[1] Title to the island was granted to him posthumously on December 15, 1829, issued jointly in the name of Padre Ballí and his nephew Juan José Ballí. Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of The priest had requested that half of the island be given to his nephew, who had been helping him there. Juan José (nephew) lived on the island from 1829 until his death in 1853. ^[1]

Geology

Geologically speaking, Padre Island is a young island, having formed in just the last several thousand years. It is one of 300 islands stretching from Maine to Mexico. The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. These natural barrier islands act to protect the mainland from the direct onslaught of storms. A shoal or sandbar (also called sandbank) is a somewhat Linear Landform within or extending into a body of Water,

Padre Island began forming as a submerged sand bar some 4500 years ago, as shown by radiocarbon dating of shells. A shoal or sandbar (also called sandbank) is a somewhat Linear Landform within or extending into a body of Water, Radiocarbon dating is a Radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring Radioisotope Carbon-14 (14C to determine the age of Geologic speculation indicates the emerged island itself may be 1000 to 1500 years younger. Barrier island origins have been debated for many years by geologists, but it is agreed they are formed and modified by such factors as sediment type and supply, sea-level directional changes, current and wave strength and direction, and tide magnitude. A geologist is a contributor to the Science of Geology, studying the physical structure and processes of the Earth and planets of the solar system Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of

It is theorized that Padre Island formed from offshore shoals with later growth aided by spit accretion. A shoal or sandbar (also called sandbank) is a somewhat Linear Landform within or extending into a body of Water, (A spit is a long, narrow tongue of sand extending from a mainland shoreline and formed by the shoreline drifting of sediments. ) After a history of shifting, abandonment and reestablishment by storm breaches, many tidal inlets were slowly closed and short islands were joined to form today's longer islands.

Padre Island sand dunes at sunset. In physical Geography, a dune is a Hill of Sand built by Aeolian processes.

Padre Island graphically illustrates the life and sequences of a barrier shoreline: accretionary or building phase, equilibrium or stability phase and erosion or destructional state. A shoal or sandbar (also called sandbank) is a somewhat Linear Landform within or extending into a body of Water, The northern half of Padre Island's shoreline is in equilibrium; the southern half (and much of the remaining Texas coastline) is in an erosional stage. Wind, wave and current action continue to rework and shape the island. South Padre Island has been in a destructive phase for a long time, probably having retreated landward (along with the lagoon and mainland shoreline). A lagoon is a body of comparatively shallow salt or Brackish water separated from the deeper Sea by a shallow or exposed sandbank, coral All of Padre Island will probably retreat landward through long-term erosion due to three causes: interruption and decrease in sediment supply, relative sea level rise, and tropical storm activity. Today, hurricane washovers and wind-carried sand deposited in the Laguna Madre build Padre Island's landward side at the expense of the Laguna Madre. A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding The Laguna Madre is the name of two long shallow bays along the western coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the United States and Mexico

Kemp's Ridley sea turtle

On September, 2007, Corpus Christi, Texas wildlife officials found a record of 128 Kemp's Ridley sea turtle nests on Texas beaches, including 81 on North Padre Island (Padre Island National Seashore) and 4 on Mustang Island. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants animals and other organisms Also see Olive Ridley turtle. Kemp's Ridley ( Lepidochelys kempii) is a critically endangered species of Sea Sea turtles ( Superfamily Chelonioidea) are Turtles found in all the world's oceans except the Arctic Ocean. Beaches (also known as Forever Friends) is a 1988 Academy Award -nominated movie adapted by Mary Agnes Donoghue from the Padre Island National Seashore (PAIS is a National Seashore located on Padre Island off the coast of South Texas. Mustang Island is a Barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Texas in the United States. Wildlife officials released 10,594 Kemp's ridleys hatchlings along the Texas coast this year. The coast is defined as the part of the land adjoining or near the Ocean. The turtles are endangered due to shrimpers' nets and they are popular in Mexico as boot material and food. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. A boot is a type of Shoe that covers at least the Foot and the Ankle and sometimes extends up to the Knee or even the Hip. Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an ^[2]

See also:

• Barrier island
• Lagoon
• Laguna Madre

Notes

References

• Padre Island from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Padre Island National Seashore - Geologic Formations

Coordinates: 26°49′54″N 97°24′08″W / 26.83167, -97.40222