Earth from Space - Image Description

STS51A-45-0044 Tres Marias Reservoir, Minas Gerais, Brazil November 1984
Located in Minas Gerais state in southwest Brazil, the serpentine-shaped Tres Marias Reservoir (blue, elongated feature) extends diagonally across the image for roughly 60 miles (97km). The reservoir is aligned in a general south-north direction with the dam located just outside of the northeast corner (upper right) of the image. Numerous tributary streams are visible as they drain into every part of the large reservoir. Sediment (lighter-colored tan in stream channels) is carried into the southern end of the reservoir by the larger recharge streams including the Sao Francisco River (channel closest lower left corner of the image). The darker, uniform-looking landscape along both sides of the reservoir is hilly forest. Small plumes of smoke can be seen along the southwest side of the reservoir.

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