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  Image: Geographic Location Direction Photo #: ISS060-E-38053 Date: Aug. 2019
Geographic Region: USA-UTAH
Feature: TANK MESA, DESERT

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  Comb Ridge, Utah

The deserts of Utah offer many textbook examples of geologic exposures. Accented by dramatic shadows, this photograph shows canyons and prominent topography around Comb Ridge, as observed by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The town of Bluff, Utah, is one of the few human footprints on this southwestern U.S. landscape.

Comb Ridge (Tséyíkáán in Navajo) is a large example of a geologic formation known as a monocline. This type of structure occurs when previously flat rock layers fold downward in one direction and then flatten out away from the bend. This escarpment trends in the north-south direction for almost 80 miles (130 kilometers) from Utah’s Abajo Mountains to Kayenta, Arizona. The Sun’s position at mid-morning (local time) caused the jagged edges of the ridge to cast shadows that accentuate topography and add depth to the photo.

A mountain-building event known as the Laramide orogeny lifted up this area between 40 and 70 million years ago. Subsequent rivers and streams associated with Comb Wash helped erode away the lifted layers of rock, creating a steep relief along the western edge of the sandstone cliffs. Sharp-crested ridges formed by tilted rock layers and differential erosion are sometimes referred to as “hogbacks” by geologists due to the spine-like appearance of the outcrop. The hogback of Comb Ridge is composed of Navajo Sandstone, which stands in vivid contrast to the darker surrounding rock formations.

 
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Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 502k
Mission: ISS060  
Roll - Frame: E - 38053
Geographical Name: USA-UTAH  
Features: TANK MESA, DESERT  
Center Lat x Lon: 37.3N x 109.6W
Film Exposure:   N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: 10
 
Camera: N8
 
Camera Tilt: 53   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 800  
 
Nadir to Photo Center Direction: NE   The direction from the nadir to the center point, N=North, S=South, E=East, W=West
Stereo?:   Y=Yes there is an adjacent picture of the same area, N=No there isn't
Orbit Number:  
 
Date: 20190820   YYYYMMDD
Time: 143648   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 34.4N  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 113.6W  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 88   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 222   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: 19   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views: EROSION, ESCARPMENT, MOUNTAIN, MOUNTAINS  
Water Views:  
Atmosphere Views: SMOKE  
Man Made Views:  
City Views:  
Photo is not associated with any sequences


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