Return to Earth From Space Home
Earth from Space logo Image Information Earth from Space logo

Display a Screen Layout for Printing

IMAGE: gray corner       IMAGE: gray corner
  Image: Geographic Location Direction Photo #: ISS024-E-13690 Date: Sep. 2010
Geographic Region: SYRIA
Feature: ES SAFA VOLCANIC FIELD

Ordering information for space photography
 
IMAGE: gray corner     IMAGE: gray corner

Image: gray corner     Image: gray corner
  View Low-Resolution Image  
  Es Safa Volcanic Field, Syria

Es Safa is a striking basaltic volcanic field located to the southeast of Damascus, Syria. It lies within the larger Harrat Ash Shamah--the largest volcanic field on the Arabian tectonic plate. Harrat Ash Shamah parallels the Red Sea and extends from northeastern Israel, through southern Syria and Jordan, and into Saudi Arabia, covering an area of over 50,000 square kilometers (19,000 square miles).

Es Safa contains numerous vents that have been active during the Holocene Epoch (beginning approximately 12,000 years ago). The most recent recorded activity was a boiling lava lake observed in the area around 1850. The dark lava flow field (center) likely represents the latest activity of the volcanic field, and is emplaced over older, lighter colored flows. The older flow surfaces also have light tan sediment accumulating in shallow depressions, in contrast to the relatively pristine surfaces of the darker, younger flows.

Cinder cones are scattered throughout the Es Safa field, but many are aligned along northwest-southeast trends that likely indicate faults through which magma rose to the surface. Two such alignments are visible at image left. To the southeast (image right) a small reservoir feeds water distribution ditches extending northwards.
 
Image: gray corner     Image: gray corner

Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 277k
Mission: ISS024  
Roll - Frame: E - 13690
Geographical Name: SYRIA  
Features: ES SAFA VOLCANIC FIELD  
Center Lat x Lon: 33.0N x 37.2E
Film Exposure:   N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: 10
 
Camera: N2
 
Camera Tilt: 9   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 180  
 
Nadir to Photo Center Direction: NW   The direction from the nadir to the center point, N=North, S=South, E=East, W=West
Stereo?:   Y=Yes there is an adjacent picture of the same area, N=No there isn't
Orbit Number: 3595  
 
Date: 20100904   YYYYMMDD
Time: 125509   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 32.7N  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 37.6E  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 254   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 188   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: 36   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views:  
Water Views: RESERVOIR, SEDIMENT  
Atmosphere Views:  
Man Made Views:  
City Views:  
Photo is not associated with any sequences


NASA
Home Page
JSC
Home Page
JSC Digital
Image Collection
Earth Science &
Remote Sensing

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