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To the north and west, Korangi Town is bordered by the Malir, one of two rivers that pass through the Karachi metropolitan area (the other is the Lyari, not shown). The river course of the Malir is marked by green riparian vegetation, which stands out vividly against the surrounding gray to tan urban areas.
One of the largest industrial areas in Pakistan is located in Korangi. Known as the Korangi Industrial Area, or KIA, this region is marked by large buildings and lots, many having white-roofed structures. A conspicuously dark region marks the location of steel works; while bare soil and built materials are present, significant vegetation cover also contributes to the dark hues. In addition to steel, the KIA also includes textile, pharmaceutical, automobile, chemical, and flour industry facilities.
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Laguna Verde (58 kilometers wide, 36 km long) often appears green, giving rise to its name. This image shows the turquoise tint in the central sub-basin (image center), with a yellow to black tinge to water in the southern sub-basin (left)—also known locally as Laguna Negro. The northernmost basin (right) appears black. The large gray zone comprising much of the rest of Laguna Verde is likely a combination of shallow water—only inches deep—and sunglint reflecting off the water surface. The reason for the color differences is that many different families of salt-loving organisms occupy hypersaline lakes such as Laguna Verde. These microscopic organisms appear as different colors, often bright, depending on the salinity and temperature of each water body or sub-basin.
The rest of the lake floor is dry and appears white from the build-up of thick salt deposits. Parallel lines around the southern subbasin (Laguna Negro) indicate prior shorelines of this shrinking water body. Evaporation removes water but leaves ephemeral shorelines marked with white salt.
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The city of San Diego was founded in 1769 by Franciscan friar Junípero Serra. While the valley of Tijuana was explored at this time, the city would not be founded until 1889. Today, the San Diego-Tijuana conurbation also includes the cities of Chula Vista, Carlsbad, San Marcos, and National City in the United States, and Tecate and Rosarito Beach in Mexico. The combined population of the region is approximately 5 million according to 2010 census information from both the USA and Mexico.
The city of Coronado, California, situated on an artificial peninsula across the bay from San Diego, is both a popular beach resort and the location of a U.S. Navy air station and training facilities. Point Loma defines the western boundary of San Diego Bay and is part of the city of San Diego. While the northern half of the Point Loma peninsula hosts various residential communities, the southern half is federal land occupied by U.S. Navy installations, the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery and the Cabrillo National Monument that marks the landing of the first European on the west coast of the United States.
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Glaciers sourced in mountain snow and ice—eleven peaks rise higher than 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) above sea level—can be seen reaching the sea (such as at image lower right). Calving icebergs float away from the ice front at image lower right. The island’s glaciers are a major source of erosion. As the ice grinds over rock and soil, it produces fine sediments, known as glacial flour, that impart a milky color to water. The sediment appears as a lighter-toned zone offshore around the island. (Note that in this image, north is to the lower right.)
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, a British overseas territory, are a remote string of islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean. In 1882–1883, a German scientific expedition stationed at Royal Bay (center left) observed the transit of Venus and, amazingly, recorded waves that originated 12,330 kilometers (7,660 miles) away with the eruption of Krakatau.
South Georgia is 170 kilometers long and by far the largest island in the territory, though the current population is less than 50 people. The main revenue comes from fishing licenses, which allow access to rich fishing grounds. Other revenue comes from tourism, customs and harbor dues, and the sale of postage stamps; most of that revenue is spent on fishery protection and research.
While the ISS only orbits above locations between 52 degrees North and South latitude, astronauts using handheld cameras can take images of regions at higher latitudes by using long focal-length lenses and high viewing angles. Such images tend to highlight topographic relief due to shadowing effects (image left) and look similar to the view you might get out of a commercial airliner window.
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Prior to approximately 12,000 years ago, a large debris avalanche was formed by collapse of the ancestral Tata Sabaya volcano. Debris from the avalanche swept into the nearby Salar de Coipasa, significantly changing its northwestern coastline. Timing of the event is obtained from tufa deposits formed on debris islands during a high stand of the Coipasa lake. The sequence illustrates the geological principle of crosscutting, in that the debris avalanche had to have occurred before the tufa deposits were formed in the lake.
The Tata Sabaya stratovolcano is located at image center in this astronaut photograph from the International Space Station. Several young lava flows are visible on the northwestern and western flanks of the volcano. Peaks visible to the northeast and southwest appear to be volcanoes as well, but unlike Tata Sabaya there is no record of recent activity from either of them, according to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s Global Volcanism Program.
As the climate of the Altiplano became more arid and the Coipasa Lake shrank, much of the hummocky terrain of the debris avalanche became exposed over an area of more than 300 square kilometers (116 square miles). The hummocky terrain is clearly visible on the right side of the image. White salt deposits of the salar surround many of the individual hummocks, making them “islands” once again.
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The largest cities on the island—Ibiza Town, Sant Antoni de Portmany, and Santa Eulària des Riu—appear as white to pink regions near coastal bays in this photograph from the International Space Station. Like many of the Balearic Islands, the major industry of Ibiza is tourism, and Ibiza Town and Sant Antoni de Portmany are particularly well known for their nightlife.
Much of the lowland interior is covered with green to light brown agricultural fields; some of them are in active production of wheat, olives, and grapes, but others are inactive and undergoing a re-growth of native trees such as pine (Pinus halpensis) and savine (Juniperus phoenicea). The northern and southwestern coastlines are hilly (grey-brown regions), with the highest peak (Sa Talaia; 475 meters above sea level) located in the southwestern region.
Parts of the island and near-shore waters are designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites and provide opportunities for rock climbing and ecotourism. The island hosts a large variety of birds and lizards, though no large land fauna are present. Parts of Ibiza and Formentera wetlands have been identified as habitat for nesting and migratory waterbirds by the Ramsar Convention of Wetlands of International Importance.
Ships are visible near Ibiza Town, and an airplane contrail is visible off the southwestern coastline of the island (lower left). The Mediterranean Sea to the southeast appears dark due to shadowing by clouds, just visible in the lower right corner.
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Strings of narrow lakes that represent ancient rivers are also present in the region. The white feature down the center of the image is Lake Auld; the color is the result of a cemented combination of fine, clayey sediment and salts from the evaporation of flood waters that occasionally fill the lake. Wider views of the area show that Lake Auld is part of what was once a major river system draining northwest to the Indian Ocean. Such sinuous lakes are also known in Australia as “river lakes.” (Other views showing the ancient winding rivers are available here and here.)
The river system is remarkably well preserved, considering that the rivers were probably active in the Paleocene Epoch more than 55 million years ago. At the time, the Australian land mass was much further south, in a wetter climatic zone. Almost all rivers in the Great Sandy Desert are dry in today’s desert climate.
Linear dunes can be seen entering Lake Auld on the east side. During flooding events, the sand of the dune noses is dispersed, becoming incorporated into the muds and salts of the lake floor sediments. During the long, intervening dry periods, sand can blow across the lake floor to build thinner, smaller dunes, visible as linear accumulations on the west side of the lake.
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The urban grid form encourages growth outwards along a city’s borders by providing optimal access to new real estate. Fueled by the adoption of widespread personal automobile use during the 20th century, the Phoenix metro area today includes 25 other municipalities (many of them largely suburban and residential) linked by a network of surface streets and freeways.
This astronaut photograph includes parts of several cities in the metro area, including Phoenix (image right), Glendale (center), and Peoria (left). While the major street grid is oriented north-south, the northwest-southeast oriented Grand Avenue cuts across it at image center. Grand Avenue is a major transportation corridor through the western metropolitan area; the lighting patterns of large industrial and commercial properties are visible along its length. Other brightly lit properties include large shopping centers, strip malls, and gas stations, which tend to be located at the intersections of north-south and east-west trending streets.
While much of the land area highlighted in this image is urbanized, there are several noticeably dark areas. The Phoenix Mountains are largely public parks and recreational land. To the west, agricultural fields provide a sharp contrast to the lit streets of residential developments. The Salt River channel appears as a dark ribbon within the urban grid.
