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2016 Map of Potrero Cortado

Name: 2016 Topographic Map of Potrero Cortado
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2016
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2016

About this map

The Padre Island National Seashore dominates the eastern half of this coastal survey, where the narrow barrier of Padre Island separates the Gulf of Mexico from the interior lagoons. The western landscape is defined by a series of distinct landforms known as potreros, including Potrero Grande, Potrero Cortado, and Potrero de los Caballos. These features suggest a history of grazing or land division in the Kenedy County wetlands, where firm ground is a premium commodity among the marshes.

Water navigation is central to the area, evidenced by the Land Cut, a man-made channel through the shallow Laguna Madre. This engineering feat connects broader water bodies like The Hole and provides a passage through the shifting sands of the Middle Ground. The map also identifies smaller land masses such as Cuba Island, illustrating the complex coastal morphology of South Texas before modern development significantly altered these natural salt marshes and tidal flats.