| STS-099 Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights |
| TOP PICKS |
| Click here to view the complete online collection of astronaut photography of Earth >> |
| STS099-735-46 |
 STS099-735-46 Click the photo number to access all resolutions available and the database record. |
| Mt. Everest, eastern Himalaya, Tibet Autonomous Region of
China: Mt. Everest (29,028 ft/8848 m; center of photo), also
called Qomolangma Feng, is just north of the border between Nepal and
China. The Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau are products of the
collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. With the
continuing northward march of India, the crust of the Earth has
become thicker and the Tibetan Plateau has been uplifted to an
average elevation of about 15,000 feet. At the summit of Mt. Everest
are fossil-bearing limestones that were deposited beneath the sea
around 510 million years ago (Cambrian to Ordovician time). Glaciers, moraines, and outwash plains are spectacularly displayed. Glacial meltwaters in this area feed the Arun River, eventually reaching the Ganges on the plains of India. |
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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." . |
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