< ISS022-E-58538 >
| NASA Photo ID | ISS022-E-58538 |
| Focal Length | 800mm |
| Date taken | 2010.01.31 |
| Time taken | 12:38:35 GMT |
Resolutions offered for this image:
1000 x 667 pixels 540 x 360 pixels 720 x 480 pixels 6048 x 4147 pixels 640 x 439 pixels
1000 x 667 pixels 540 x 360 pixels 720 x 480 pixels 6048 x 4147 pixels 640 x 439 pixels
Spacecraft nadir point: 23.0° N, 52.7° E
Photo center point: 24.3° N, 52.6° E
Photo center point by machine learning: 24.30° N, 52.60° E
Photo center point: 24.3° N, 52.6° E
Photo center point by machine learning: 24.30° N, 52.60° E
Nadir to Photo Center: North
Spacecraft Altitude: 186 nautical miles (344km)
Country or Geographic Name: | UNITED ARAB EMIRATES |
Features: | SIR BANI YAS ISLAND, LAGOON, SALT DOME |
| Features Found Using Machine Learning: | |
Cloud Cover Percentage: | 10 (1-10)% |
Sun Elevation Angle: | 20° |
Sun Azimuth: | 240° |
Camera: | Nikon D3X Electronic Still Camera |
Focal Length: | 800mm |
Camera Tilt: | 23 degrees |
Format: | 6048E: 6048 x 4032 pixel CMOS sensor, 35.9mm x 24.0mm, total pixels: 25.72 million, Nikon FX format |
Film Exposure: | |
| Additional Information | |
| Width | Height | Annotated | Cropped | Purpose | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 pixels | 667 pixels | No | Yes | Earth From Space collection | Download Image |
| 540 pixels | 360 pixels | Yes | Yes | Earth From Space collection | Download Image |
| 720 pixels | 480 pixels | Yes | Yes | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
| 6048 pixels | 4147 pixels | No | No | Download Image | |
| 640 pixels | 439 pixels | No | No | Download Image |
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No GeoTIFF is available for this photo.Image Caption: Sir Bani Yas Island, United Arab Emirates
Sir Bani Yas Island is located in the Persian Gulf near the western coastline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Roughly 14 kilometers (9.7 miles) by 9 kilometers (6 miles), the island is the surface expression of a salt dome, which is pocket of salt minerals that balloons upward into overlying layers of sedimentary rocks.
Salt domes start during past periods of alternating wet and dry climate. A common scenario is an enclosed basin that is alternately flooded and then subjected to extreme drying. High rates of evaporation deposit thick layers of salt minerals, such as common table salt and gypsum (a chalky mineral that is a major component of wallboard). These layers are eventually buried by sediments. If the salt layers are buried deeply enough, the pressure can cause them flow. Salt has lower density than the surrounding rock, so it tends to flow upwards, pushing up the overlying layers of rock to form a dome. While many salt domes retain a cap of the youngest rock layers at the surface, in some cases the underlying salt extrudes all the way to the surface.
This astronaut photograph illustrates the varying character of surfaces on Sir Bani Yas. The central mountains of Jebel Wahid (image center) mark the location of the Sir Bani Yas salt dome. The dome has breached the surface but exposed salt, primarily gypsum, is eroded, leaving a rugged, insoluble cap made of fragments of the overlaying sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Sand and silt derived from the Jebel Wahid and surrounding gravel-covered areas form beaches along the outer edge of the island.
Sir Bani Yas Island was the personal retreat of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan who was president of the UAE from 1971-2004. He established a nature preserve on the island for animals native to the Arabian Peninsula (including striped hyena, cheetah, oryx, ostrich, and gazelle) that is now open to the public. The numerous orchard plots than cover much of the island were part of a desert agricultural research program also started by the late Sheikh. Tan graded areas along the western and northeastern coast of the island (image bottom and image left) may be revegetated with additional plots or developed for other land uses.
Sir Bani Yas Island is located in the Persian Gulf near the western coastline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Roughly 14 kilometers (9.7 miles) by 9 kilometers (6 miles), the island is the surface expression of a salt dome, which is pocket of salt minerals that balloons upward into overlying layers of sedimentary rocks.
Salt domes start during past periods of alternating wet and dry climate. A common scenario is an enclosed basin that is alternately flooded and then subjected to extreme drying. High rates of evaporation deposit thick layers of salt minerals, such as common table salt and gypsum (a chalky mineral that is a major component of wallboard). These layers are eventually buried by sediments. If the salt layers are buried deeply enough, the pressure can cause them flow. Salt has lower density than the surrounding rock, so it tends to flow upwards, pushing up the overlying layers of rock to form a dome. While many salt domes retain a cap of the youngest rock layers at the surface, in some cases the underlying salt extrudes all the way to the surface.
This astronaut photograph illustrates the varying character of surfaces on Sir Bani Yas. The central mountains of Jebel Wahid (image center) mark the location of the Sir Bani Yas salt dome. The dome has breached the surface but exposed salt, primarily gypsum, is eroded, leaving a rugged, insoluble cap made of fragments of the overlaying sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Sand and silt derived from the Jebel Wahid and surrounding gravel-covered areas form beaches along the outer edge of the island.
Sir Bani Yas Island was the personal retreat of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan who was president of the UAE from 1971-2004. He established a nature preserve on the island for animals native to the Arabian Peninsula (including striped hyena, cheetah, oryx, ostrich, and gazelle) that is now open to the public. The numerous orchard plots than cover much of the island were part of a desert agricultural research program also started by the late Sheikh. Tan graded areas along the western and northeastern coast of the island (image bottom and image left) may be revegetated with additional plots or developed for other land uses.
