Earth from Space - Image Description

STS059-L16-056 Tuz Lake, Turkey April 1994
Shallow, saline Tuz Lake, located in a basin of the Konya Plain of central Turkey, is shown in this low-oblique, southwest-looking photograph. Tuz Lake covers 625 square miles (1620 square kilometers) and is nearly 2960 feet (900 meters) above sea level. A few streams feed the lake, but it has no outlet. The water level in the lake varies with precipitation received from season to season and year to year. Salt is mined from the lake's shores. The Konya Plain is a rich agricultural and livestock raising region. Numerous field patterns surround the lake. Smaller lakes can be seen north and southwest of Tuz Lake. The small Karasinir Mountain Range separates Tuz Lake and the Hirfanli Reservoir (dark blue water) of the Kizil River (northeast of the lake).

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate.