Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights

STS-082 Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights

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STS082-704-5 Southern Mexico and northern Central America: Southern Mexico and northern Central America. Spectacular shot of three seas, five nations, three plates of the Earth's crust, and two plate boundaries. Yucatan Peninsula extends northward, with the Gulf of Mexico on the west and Caribbean on the east -- the blue waters surrounding reefs off Belize lie along the eastern Yucatan coast, and Laguna de Terminos on the west. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec, one of the sites proposed for a canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific, is in left center; the Golfo de Tehuantepec and Golfo de Fonseca are at the west and east ends, respectively, of the Pacific coastal margin seen here. The volcanoes along the Pacific coast mark the convergent margin between the Cocos plate (Pacific side), which is moving northeastward with respect to the North American (Mexico, Yucatan, Belize) and Caribbean plates (Guatemala, El Salvador). The Motagua, Polochic and Jocotan are long, arcing faults crossing the frame from WSW to ENE; they are elements of the transform boundary (Swan Island transform) between the North American and Caribbean plates. Blocks south of the transform zone are moving east with respect to that to the north; the transform zone is an extension of the Cayman Ridge/trench system.

STS082-718-83 Namib: Namib coast plankton in full bloom 2/12/97: panorama.

STS082-730-44 Namib: Namib coast plankton in full bloom.

STS082-730-30 El Salvador, Nicaragua: El Salvador, Nicaragua. Fine photo of the volcanic arc including the bend in plate boundary, expressed in the alignment of the volcanoes. Cosiguina (see next frame) is at the corner where the plate margin changes strike. Landward of the volcano line is a wide easterly fault valley that has formed by back-arc extension. That east-southeast trending graben becomes wider and deeper to the south, where it contains huge lakes such as Lago Nicaragua (not in this view).

STS082-731-77 Chiapas, Mexico: Chiapas, Mexico; Guatemala. Fine detailed view of the strike-slip faults of the transform boundary between the North American and Caribbean plates. The major fault zone south of the large light-appearing Angostura Lake valley in the eastern part of the photo is the Polochic. The deep northerly valley in the upper left photo appears on the left side of the next frame.

STS082-731-79 Guatemala, Mexico: Guatemala. Eastward continuations of the Motogua and Polochic faults in the transform plate boundary, as well as the volcanoes of the convergent boundary are well displayed here. Lake Atitlan in mid-frame occupies the center of a caldera complex; Santiago Atitlan (11,804 ft) is the larger and more easterly of the two volcanoes forming the southern shore of the lake. Guatemala City is within a north-trending graben -- one of several formed by stretching of the crust of the Caribbean plate as it is pulled away to the east.

STS082-731-83 El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua: El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua. Detailed nadir view of Golfo de Fonseca and Cosiguina volcano. The explosion of Cosiguina in August, 1859 has been the largest historical eruption to date in the western hemisphere. The volcano developed at the intersection of two structural complexes -- a bend in the convergent plate margin, and a north-trending fault valley (graben) that intersects the volcanic arc. Amapala, on the flank of another volcano, is the port for Honduras. Extensive maricultural development can be observed in the eastern gulf.

STS082-754-61 Lake Eyre: Lake Eyre full.

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This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science Directorate.

Recommended Citation: Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA-Johnson Space Center. "The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth." .

NASA Responsible Official: Susan Runco

Curator: jsc-earthweb@mail.nasa.gov

Contributors: Earth Sciences Web Team

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

International Space Station National Laboratory

Last Update:

Server: 1

STS082-704-5	Southern Mexico and northern Central America: Southern Mexico and northern Central America. Spectacular shot of three seas, five nations, three plates of the Earth's crust, and two plate boundaries. Yucatan Peninsula extends northward, with the Gulf of Mexico on the west and Caribbean on the east -- the blue waters surrounding reefs off Belize lie along the eastern Yucatan coast, and Laguna de Terminos on the west. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec, one of the sites proposed for a canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific, is in left center; the Golfo de Tehuantepec and Golfo de Fonseca are at the west and east ends, respectively, of the Pacific coastal margin seen here. The volcanoes along the Pacific coast mark the convergent margin between the Cocos plate (Pacific side), which is moving northeastward with respect to the North American (Mexico, Yucatan, Belize) and Caribbean plates (Guatemala, El Salvador). The Motagua, Polochic and Jocotan are long, arcing faults crossing the frame from WSW to ENE; they are elements of the transform boundary (Swan Island transform) between the North American and Caribbean plates. Blocks south of the transform zone are moving east with respect to that to the north; the transform zone is an extension of the Cayman Ridge/trench system.
STS082-718-83	Namib: Namib coast plankton in full bloom 2/12/97: panorama.
STS082-730-44	Namib: Namib coast plankton in full bloom.
STS082-730-30	El Salvador, Nicaragua: El Salvador, Nicaragua. Fine photo of the volcanic arc including the bend in plate boundary, expressed in the alignment of the volcanoes. Cosiguina (see next frame) is at the corner where the plate margin changes strike. Landward of the volcano line is a wide easterly fault valley that has formed by back-arc extension. That east-southeast trending graben becomes wider and deeper to the south, where it contains huge lakes such as Lago Nicaragua (not in this view).
STS082-731-77	Chiapas, Mexico: Chiapas, Mexico; Guatemala. Fine detailed view of the strike-slip faults of the transform boundary between the North American and Caribbean plates. The major fault zone south of the large light-appearing Angostura Lake valley in the eastern part of the photo is the Polochic. The deep northerly valley in the upper left photo appears on the left side of the next frame.
STS082-731-79	Guatemala, Mexico: Guatemala. Eastward continuations of the Motogua and Polochic faults in the transform plate boundary, as well as the volcanoes of the convergent boundary are well displayed here. Lake Atitlan in mid-frame occupies the center of a caldera complex; Santiago Atitlan (11,804 ft) is the larger and more easterly of the two volcanoes forming the southern shore of the lake. Guatemala City is within a north-trending graben -- one of several formed by stretching of the crust of the Caribbean plate as it is pulled away to the east.
STS082-731-83	El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua: El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua. Detailed nadir view of Golfo de Fonseca and Cosiguina volcano. The explosion of Cosiguina in August, 1859 has been the largest historical eruption to date in the western hemisphere. The volcano developed at the intersection of two structural complexes -- a bend in the convergent plate margin, and a north-trending fault valley (graben) that intersects the volcanic arc. Amapala, on the flank of another volcano, is the port for Honduras. Extensive maricultural development can be observed in the eastern gulf.
STS082-754-61	Lake Eyre: Lake Eyre full.

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science Directorate. Recommended Citation: Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA-Johnson Space Center. "The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth." .
	NASA Responsible Official: Susan Runco Curator: jsc-earthweb@mail.nasa.gov Contributors: Earth Sciences Web Team	National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center	International Space Station National Laboratory Last Update:
Server: 1