ISS066-E-182850
NASA Photo ID | ISS066-E-182850 |
Focal Length | 50mm |
Date taken | 2022.02.07 |
Time taken | 06:09:01 GMT |
5568 x 3712 pixels 720 x 480 pixels 5568 x 3712 pixels 640 x 427 pixels
Country or Geographic Name: | IRAN |
Features: | PERSIAN GULF, SEDIMENT, ZAGROS FOLD-THRUST BELT, FARS PROVINCE, SALINE LAKE |
Features Found Using Machine Learning: | |
Cloud Cover Percentage: | 10 (1-10)% |
Sun Elevation Angle: | 34° |
Sun Azimuth: | 135° |
Camera: | Nikon D5 Electronic Still Camera |
Focal Length: | 50mm |
Camera Tilt: | 11 degrees |
Format: | 5568E: 5568 x 3712 pixel CMOS sensor, 35.9 x 23.9 mm, total pixels: 21.33 million, Nikon FX format |
Film Exposure: | |
Additional Information | |
Width | Height | Annotated | Cropped | Purpose | Links |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
5568 pixels | 3712 pixels | No | No | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
720 pixels | 480 pixels | Yes | No | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
5568 pixels | 3712 pixels | No | No | Download Image | |
640 pixels | 427 pixels | No | No | Download Image |
This astronaut photograph, taken from the International Space Station, illustrates the undulating patterns formed by the geology of the Zagros Mountains in southern Iran. The image shows a 300-kilometer (190-mile) portion of the larger Zagros Range (1600 kilometers/990 miles), which runs along the northern coast of the Persian Gulf. Several small islands are visible in the gulf.
This view shows two major geological features. The first, extending across the photo, is the elongated fold mountains and intervening valleys of heavily folded limestone layers. These mountains and valleys are oriented approximately east to west. The upfolded sections form the mountain ridges and the downfolded sections form the long valleys between the ridges. While the rocks themselves are significantly older, the folding took place during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs (from about 23 million to 2.5 million years ago).
The tectonic forces involved in this folding resulted from the rigid Arabian Plate pushing in a northerly direction against the limestone strata on the Eurasian Plate. These forces have also produced a great depression in the Earth's surface which created the Persian Gulf.
The other notable geological feature in the image is a series of roughly circular salt domes. These domes appear as numerous relatively small, dark patches, each of which is indicated on this geological map. These local uplifts have formed because they are made of salt, which is less dense than the overlying rock and thus tends to rise upward through it. Salt domes also form on parts of the islands in this region of the Persian Gulf. The larger Qeshm Island includes a single salt dome near its western end.