Earth from Space - Image Description

STS58-86-023 Mountainous Area, Southeast Spain October 1993
The thin, dark lines that wind across this arid landscape of southeast Spain are tributaries of the Guadalquivir River drainage basin. The headwaters of the Guadalquivir River rise in southeastern Spain, flow westward, and eventually empty into the Atlantic Ocean north of Cadiz. The tributary streams are fed by runoff from several mountains (darker features) including in this image the southwest to northeast trending Sierra de Segura (bottom center); the east-west aligned Sierra de los Filabres (slightly above center); and the more massive-looking Sierra Nevada (upper right corner). Several other (smaller) mountain ranges are also visible across the scene. A small reservoir (dark, elongated feature) is observed near the center of the image.

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit, ARES Division, Exploration Integration Science Directorate.