Earth from Space - Image Description

STS064-212-062 Western Mojave Desert, California, U.S.A. September 1994
Captured in this synoptic photograph are the San Fernando Valley, the San Gabriel Mountains, the Mojave Desert, the Tehachapi Mountains, and the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley. The Tehachapi Mountains, the small mountain range that separates the Mojave Desert from the cultivated fields of the southern San Joaquin Valley, display several peaks 8000 feet (2440 meters) above sea level, although general elevation of the western Mojave Desert reaches only 2300 feet (700 meters). Highly reflective Rogers Dry Lake lies near the middle of the Mojave Desert. The San Andreas Fault and the Garlock Fault extend westward to form the apex of the V-shaped western Mojave Desert. (The dark area in the upper left corner is a blemish on the film.)

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