EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


Archive - Pancake Rocks, New Zealand

February 05, 2022

6a0105371bb32c970b015439070ae1970c

Every weekend we present a notable item from our archives.

This EPOD was originally published January 2, 2012.

Photographer: Enver Murad
Summary Author: Enver Murad
Paparoa National Park on New Zealand’s west coast near the small
town of Punakaiki is renowned for its limestone cliffs and
karst phenomena such as caves and underground streams. Formation of
the famous Pancake Rocks began during the Tertiary period when
carbonate-rich fragments of marine plant and animal skeletons were
deposited on the seabed some 30 million years ago. The resultant
alternating layers of hard and soft limestone and mudstone were
eventually solidified and raised above sea level. Wind, rain and acidic
waters finally carved today’s spectacular formations out of the solid
rock, giving the appearance of stacked pancakes.
* Pancake Rocks, New Zealand Coordinates: -42.10833, 171.33611

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Geology Links

* Earthquakes
* Geologic Time
* Geomagnetism
* General Dictionary of Geology
* Mineral and Locality Database
* Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
* This Dynamic Earth
* USGS
* MyShake - University of California, Berkeley
* USGS Ask a Geologist
* USGS/NPS Geologic Glossary
* USGS Volcano Hazards Program

-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 8 weeks, 6 days, 20 hours, 43 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


Archive - Red Beach, Peru

March 05, 2022

6a0105371bb32c970b01a3fd108e02970b

Every weekend we present a notable item from our archives.

This EPOD was originally published on June 23, 2014.

Photographer: Samuele Gasparini
Summary Authors: Samuele Gasparini; Jim Foster

Shown above is Red Beach, part of the Paracas National Reserve, on
the barren shores of the Pacific Ocean in Peru. The red
coloration of the beach is attributed to pink granodiorite that
has eroded out of the nearby cliffs of Punta Santa Maria by wave
action, forming a reddish pebble-sand mix. The carmine color of the
beach contrasts with the tans and browns of the adjacent coastal
cliffs. Over 200 migratory bird species and approximately 3 dozen
species of land and marine mammals are found in the Paracas
Reserve. Photo taken on August 9, 2011.

Photo details: Camera Maker: FUJIFILM; Camera Model: FinePix S2000HD;
Focal Length: 5.0mm; Aperture: f/7.0; Exposure Time: 0.0020 s (1/500);
ISO equiv: 100; Software: Adobe Photoshop CS5 Windows.
* Red Beach, Peru Coordinates: -13.8959, -76.296703

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Geology Links

* Earthquakes
* Geologic Time
* Geomagnetism
* General Dictionary of Geology
* Mineral and Locality Database
* Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
* This Dynamic Earth
* USGS
* MyShake - University of California, Berkeley
* USGS Ask a Geologist
* USGS/NPS Geologic Glossary
* USGS Volcano Hazards Program

-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 5 days, 20 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


Wizard’s Hat and Milky Way

September 05, 2022


2022_05_04_Pano_35mm_Carodejuv_Klobouk_MW_1500px

Photographer: Petr Horálek
Summary Author: Petr Horálek
The Chilean Atacama Desert is just full of magical creations. On
this photo, I found a previously unnamed geological landform dozens of
kilometers south of the famous Valle de la Luna National Park that
I've named "Wizard's Hat." The curious formations in this park were
formed by the sequential folding of an old salt lake that
eventually dried and was forced upwards by the movement of tectonic
plates. The Milky Way and Large Magellanic Cloud, near the
horizon, glows overhead. Photo taken on May 4, 2022.
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile Coordinates: -22.9087, -68.1997


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-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 27 weeks, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


Etna Volcano at Night

October 05, 2022


Stelle e fuoco sull'Etna (1)

Photographer: Teresa Molinaro
Summary Author: Teresa Molinaro

Shown above is the glowing skyscape I observed as Mt Etna (Sicily,
Italy) was erupting on a starry night earlier this year. This
stratovolcano is the most active in Europe. In fact, it's erupted
so often the past two years that new volcanic material has added to
its height by approximately 100 ft (30 m). A larger eruption had
occurred several days before ( late May 2022), but when I arrived
weak explosive activity was still in progress -- emission of volcanic
sand from Etna's South-East crater. I was on the opposite side of the
mountain at the time and was intent on capturing both the starry sky
and Montebello's lingering flames. Photo taken on June 2, 2022, at
10:00 p.m. local time.

Photo details: Nikon D7500 camera; F/3.5; 30 second exposure; ISO 800;
18 mm Nikkor lens.

Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy Coordinates: 37.7510, 14.9934


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Atmospheric Effects Links

* Atmospheric Optics
* Optic Picture of Day: Gruppo Astrofili Galileo Galilei
* Color and Light in Nature
* The Colors of Twillight and Sunset
* Refraction Index
* Image Gallery: Atmospheric Effects
* What is a Rainbow?

-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 31 weeks, 2 days, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


Salt Pans of Torre Nubia

December 05, 2022


DSC_3601

Photographer: Giovanni Caruso

Summary Author: Giovanni Caruso
The photo above portrays the pink salt pans of Torre Nubia, part of
the Saline di Trapani and Paceco Nature Reserve in Sicily, Italy.
The characteristic pink color of salt pans is linked to the presence of
a particular alga with carotenoid pigments that thrives in
environments having a high concentration of salt. These salt flats
are a very important resting place for thousands of birds during the
autumn and spring migration between Africa and Europe, including
flamingos.

Salt production occurs during the summer season, primarily in July and
August. Its mining here is a centuries-old tradition. In the
background is the frame of a windmill that’s no longer in use. Photo
taken on July 25, 2020.

Paceco (Sicily), Italy Coordinates: 37.5859, 12.2951

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Geography Links

* Atlapedia Online
* CountryReports
* GPS Visualizer
* Holt Rinehart Winston World Atlas
* Mapping Our World
* Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
* Types of Land
* World Mapper

-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 40 weeks, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)