Boracay Island - How was it formed

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Boracay Island - Inquiry

An island or isle is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water. Very small islands are called islets. It is also proper to call an emergent land feature on an atoll an islet, since an atoll is a type of island, although this convention is seldom adhered to. A key or cay is another name for a relatively small island or islet. An island in a river or lake is called an eyot.  The example of a cay is Boracay Island, Philippines in the province of Aklan.

The Word "Bor-a-cay"
The 3 syllable word Boracay is said to have come from the local word borac, meaning cotton, a reference to the sand's color and texture. By adding the two meaning we get the local word Boracay which houses Boracay Beach or as the locals would say, " White Sands Beach".

How Islands Form

Look at the polar ice caps on a map of the world or a globe. During the last ice age the ice caps were larger. More of Earth’s water was frozen at the poles, and the oceans were shallower. The sea levels rose dramatically at the end of the Ice Age as Earth warmed and the polar ice caps began to melt. When the ice melted, about 10,000 years ago, some bodies of land that had been connected to continents were cut off from the mainland and became islands. This is how the islands of New Zealand became isolated from the mainland of Australia.

Boracay Islands was likely formed by hardworking, coral-building sea organisms. Among the creatures living in the seas are tiny animals called polyps. Polyps are related to jellyfish, but they live in colonies, and they protect their soft bodies by building limestone walls around them. As these colonies grow, they form reefs. Eventually, these reefs can cover hundreds of square miles. The polyps don’t build their reefs above the surface of the water, but if the sea level drops or the land below the reef rises, the reef may emerge from the water. Then water-borne sand and wind-borne dust will accumulate on the reef and form an island. The Florida Keys are one example of coral reef islands.

Another way islands can form is through volcanism. Volcanoes can erupt underwater as well as on land. With each eruption, lava flows build up. Over time, the volcano can grow above the surface of the sea, forming a volcanic island, such as those that make up Hawaii.

Boracay Island Species - How did they get there?

Boracay island creation affects the range of species of plants and animals living on it. If the island is cut off from the Panay Island mainland by rising sea level, then mainland species are likely to be living on it from the start. If the island forms as a volcano or as a coral reef, there may be no plants or animals living on it to begin with, and any species that does get established there has to have come from somewhere else. Animals can reach an island by travelling on floating objects in the ocean, such as trees, floating logs, or reeds. Plants and birds can reach an island by air. Example: Bat Caves of Boracay - East of Yapak there are some bat caves that can be toured by a guide for a price.  At twilight every day, thousands of bats awake from the caves and fly over White Beach. Check it out some time!