Earth from Space - Image Description

STS062-109-073 Diamantina River, Queensland, Australia March 1994
The numerous tributaries of the upper reaches of the Diamantina River show a series of dendritic stream patterns, as this ephemeral river drains southwest (towards the bottom of the picture) across the Great Artesian Basin in central Queensland. Most of this northeast-looking, low oblique view shows an eroded landscape, especially west of the Diamantina River. The river floodplain widens and becomes multi-braided channels in the lower right corner of the image. Even though this region is considered at best semiarid, the unusual greenish hues of extensive grasslands indicate that good rains had fallen in parts of the Great Artesian Basin with its pastoral economy.

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