Photo #: ISS061-E-4546 Date: Oct. 2019 Geographic Region: USA-ARIZONA Feature: GRAND CANYON, HORSESHOE BEND, LAKE POWELL |
Reservoirs, Bends, and Canyons on the Colorado Plateau Ancient geologic features and modern reservoirs share the spotlight in this photo of the Colorado Plateau, taken by an astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The western half of the plateau, which spans southeastern Utah and northern Arizona, is dominated by the Colorado River and its tributaries, which collectively drain more than 90 percent of the water on the plateau. According to the U.S. National Park Service, the Colorado River began eroding the plateau about 5 to 6 million years ago, forming many of today's well-known features like the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and the characteristic slot canyons of the region. Horseshoe Bend is a popular and scenic entrenched meander near Page, Arizona - one of the many twists in the Colorado River. The meanders formed as the Colorado Plateau was raised by tectonic forces. As the land rose upward, the river continued to cut its channel downward through the underlying rock layers. That channel cutting formed a tight U-shape (closeup below) in the sandstone to form today's sheer cliff walls. While natural forces like erosion have been reshaping the landscape for thousands of years, humans have made their mark in the past hundred years. The largest bodies of water in these images are the artificial reservoirs at Lake Powell and Lake Mead, which were formed by the Glen Canyon and Hoover dams, respectively. The lakes are the two largest artificial reservoirs in the United States, providing hydroelectric power and water for about 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of farmland across the U.S. West and Mexico. |
Images: | All Available Images Low-Resolution 482k |
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Mission: | ISS061 |
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Roll - Frame: | E - 4546 |
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Geographical Name: | USA-ARIZONA |
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Features: | GRAND CANYON, HORSESHOE BEND, LAKE POWELL |
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Center Lat x Lon: | 36.5N x 113W |
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Film Exposure: | N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus |
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Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: | 10 |
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Camera:: | N8 |
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Camera Tilt: | 47 | LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical |
Camera Focal Length: | 65 |
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Nadir to Photo Center Direction: | W | 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 |
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Orbit Number: | |
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Date: | 20191008 | YYYYMMDD |
Time: | 190345 | GMT HHMMSS |
Nadir Lat: | 36.8N |
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft |
Nadir Lon: | 109.1W |
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft |
Sun Azimuth: | 180 | Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point |
Space Craft Altitude: | 222 | nautical miles |
Sun Elevation: | 47 | Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point |
Land Views: | EROSION, PLATEAU |
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Water Views: | CHANNEL, LAKE, RIVER |
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Atmosphere Views: | |
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Man Made Views: | |
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City Views: | PAGE |
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Photo is not associated with any sequences |
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