ISS009-E-22625

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Spacecraft nadir point: 33.6° S, 70.0° W

Photo center point: 34.0° S, 70.0° W

Photo center point by machine learning:

Nadir to Photo Center: South

Spacecraft Altitude: 198 nautical miles (367km)
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540 pixels 451 pixels Yes Yes Earth From Space collection Download Image
1000 pixels 835 pixels No Yes NASA's Earth Observatory web site Download Image
540 pixels 334 pixels Yes Yes NASA's Earth Observatory web site Download Image
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639 pixels 435 pixels No No Download Image
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Image Caption: Maipo Volcano, Chile

The high peaks of the Andes form the backbone of South America and the political border between Chile and Argentina. Formed from the subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate, the south-central Andes also includes several major volcanoes. One of the most active border volcanoes is Volcan Maipo, located just southeast of Santiago, Chile. The volcano's summit (5264m) rests in the large Diamante Caldera, and is defined by a radial drainage pattern highlighted by snow cover (center right of image). Lava flows from an 1826 eruption blocked drainage within the caldera, forming Lake Diamante. The lake is a popular tourist destination. Maipo's last significant eruption was in 1908.

Imagery of the region from the International Space Station includes seasonal observations--this image shows the volcano near the southern hemisphere spring equinox. The lake, just east of Maipo's peak, is still ice covered. However, the increasing temperatures of spring are suggested by a muddy-looking streak near the lower left corner. The streak appears to be a landslide or avalanche that flowed westward down a rugged slope, possibly triggered by instability in the snowpack due to snow melt.