Savage Islands (NASA, International Space Station Science, 10/22/09)

A few nice Sciences images I found:

Savage Islands (NASA, International Space Station Science, 10/22/09)




Image by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

The northern Savage Islands in the Atlantic Ocean are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 21 crew member on the International Space Station. The Savage Islands, or Ilhas Selvagens in Portuguese, comprise a small archipelago in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean between the archipelago of Madeira to the north and the Canary Islands to the south. Like other island groups, the Savage Islands are thought to have been produced by volcanism related to a mantle plume or "hot spot". Mantle plumes are relatively fixed regions of upwelling magma that can feed volcanoes on an overlying tectonic plate. Active volcanoes form over the plume, and become dormant as they are carried away on the moving tectonic plate. Scientists believe that over geologic time, this creates a line of older extinct volcanoes, seamounts, and islands extending from the leading active volcanoes that are currently over the plume. This view illustrates Selvagem Grande, the largest of the islands with an approximate area of four square kilometers. All of the islands of the archipelago are ringed by bright white breaking waves along the fringing beaches. Coral reefs that surround the Savage Islands make it very difficult to land boats there, and there is no permanent settlement on the islands.

Image credit: NASA

Read full caption:
spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-21/html/...

More about the Crew Earth Observation experiment aboard the International Space Station:
www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/experiments/CE...

More about space station science:
www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/index.html

There's a new Flickr group about Space Station Science. Please feel welcome to join! www.flickr.com/groups/stationscience/

Jeff at California Academy of Sciences




Image by Thom Watson

Rainforests of the World exhibit

California Academy of Sciences
Member Preview Day
September 21, 2008

Cerro Culiacan, Guanajuato, Mexico (NASA, International Space Station Science, 03/03/08)




Image by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

Editor's Note: Due to popular demand, I'm going to start uploading high-rez versions of the Earth images, unless Flickr Pro gets too full. :)

Cerro Culiacan, Guanajuato, Mexico is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 16 crewmember on the International Space Station. This view highlights Cerro (Spanish for "hill") Culiacan, part of the 50,000-square kilometers Michoacan-Guanajuato volcanic field of west-central Mexico. The volcanic field contains over 1,400 known vents, with cinder cones being the dominant landform. Cerro Culiacan however, is a shield volcano formed by basaltic lavas; it most likely formed during the Pleistocene Epoch approximately 10,000 to two million years ago, according to scientists. Shield volcanoes in the Michoacan-Guanajuato field tend to have steeper slopes than similar volcanic structures elsewhere (namely Iceland; this is perhaps due to slightly higher-viscosity lavas), and the 1,100-meter high Cerro Culiacan is no exception. The permeable, highly fractured basalt of Culiacan is an important component of the local hydrology. Precipitation that falls on the slopes of the hill swiftly infiltrates down into sediments of the valley floor, providing sufficient moisture to support agriculture (green and brown fields at right) and, in turn, several small cities such as Jaral del Progreso and El Capulin de la Trinidad (light gray regions with street grids). Precipitation has also incised the slopes of Cerro Culiacan with a radial drainage pattern, extending outwards from the peak in all directions much like the spokes of a bicycle wheel.

Image credit: NASA

Read full caption:
spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-16/html/...

More about the Crew Earth Observation experiment aboard the International Space Station:
www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/experiments/CE...

More about space station science:
www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/index.html

There's a new Flickr group about Space Station Science. Please feel welcome to join! www.flickr.com/groups/stationscience/

You can also get Twitter updates whenever there's a new image:
www.twitter.com/nasa1fan