Earth from Space - Image Description

STS073-711-47 China Lake, California, U.S.A. October 1995
Although most of the desert landscape in this photograph features rugged mountains (dark brown) and intermittent basins, several features indicate human activity--the street pattern for the desert town of China Lake; two triangular airfields, one north and one west; and center-pivot irrigation patterns to the northwest. To the east is highly reflective Searles Lake, made up of layers of sand, silt, and salt almost 1000 feet (305 meters) thick. The layers are mined for borax and various salts. The irregular browns to the north are exposed lava beds.

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