The shallowest parts of the lagoon lie in the central part of the national seashore. These grassflats are environments of very high biologic activity, serving as spawning grounds for a number of fish, clams, and snails. Within the national seashore, the northern part of the lagoon is occupied largely by grassflats having an average water depth of about 3 feet. Like the island environments, the environments of Laguna Madre vary considerably. The lagoon is widest during highest wind tides, which produce maximum flooding of the vast tidal flats. In many places, however, lagoon width fluctuates considerably with the height of wind-generated tides. The maximum width of the lagoon is approximately 10 miles. The combination of a high rate of evaporation under the hot Texas sun and little mixing with either freshwater or normal seawater has made Laguna Madre extremely salty. Consequently, circulation of seawater in and out of the lagoon is highly restricted. Laguna Madre, separating Padre Island from the Texas mainland, is locked in by the barrier island. During storms, beaches are eroded, vegetation is ripped up, dunes are flattened, and channels are scoured across the island. Slower daily movements of the sand and stabilizing effects of vegetation are interrupted occasionally by the brutal force of hurricane winds, waves, and tides. In other places, vegetation may win a battle of its own and stabilize the blowing sand by binding it with roots and vines. Active sand dunes march across the island, smothering vegetation in their paths and leaving barren sandflats in their wakes. In some places, the onshore wind may blow loose sand from the foredunes and beach across the flats beyond. Constant bombardment of prevailing southeasterly winds from the Gulf of Mexico heap beach of sand into high foredunes. Most of Padre Island is less than 20 feet above mean sea level. Situated in a stable depository basin, there isn't much that can intervene with the barrier bars, except for the occasional hurricanes that come by. Unlike most of today's geologic features, such as the Grand Canyon or the likes, Padre Island changes constantly. Geologically extremely young, Padre Island is a vastly dynamic geologic feature. Padre Island is a very young geological feature that only developed merely 4,500 to 5,000 years ago, according to radio carbon dating of shells. PAIS is part of the world's longest natural barrier bar system. The geology of Padre Island National Seashore doesn't just belong within the park itself. It is about 113 miles (182 km) long and 1.8 miles (3 km) wide, Padre Island is the second-largest island by area in the contiguous United States, after Long Island in New York on the Atlantic Coast. He also founded the first mission in present-day Cameron County. Meaning father in Spanish, it was named after Father José Nicolás Ballí (c.1770-1829), who owned the island and served as a missionary priest and collector of finances for all the churches in the Rio Grande Valley. The island is located along Texas's southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and is noted for its white sandy beaches. Padre Island National Seashore is located on Padre Island, the largest of the Texas barrier islands and the world's longest barrier island. It is located in parts of Kleberg, Kenedy, and Willacy counties, with Kenedy County having the majority of its land area. PAIS hosts a variety of pristine beach, dune, and tidal flat environments, including the Laguna Madre on its west coast, a famous spot for windsurfing. The national seashore is 70 miles (110 km) long with 65.5 miles (105.4 km) of Gulf beach. North Padre Island is the longest undeveloped barrier island in the world. PAIS is the fourth designated national seashore in the United States. All but four miles is open to vehicle traffic. Most of the park is primitive, but camping is available, and most of the beach is only accessible to four-wheel-drive vehicles. In contrast to South Padre Island, known for its beaches and vacationing college students, PINS is located on North Padre Island and consists of a long beach where nature is preserved. Padre Island National Seashore ( PINS) is a national seashore located on Padre Island off the coast of South Texas. Map showing Padre Island National Seashore on Padre Island (center), south of Mustang Island.
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