Earth from Space - Image Information


LOCATION Direction Photo #: ISS036-E-11034 Date: Jun. 2013
Geographic Region: MEXICO
Feature: YUMA,SAN DIEGO,MEXICALI,SALTON SEA,COLORADO RIVER DELTA,TIJUANA


IMAGE
 
Salton Trough, USA and Mexico

Note: This caption refers to the image versions labeled "NASA's Earth Observatory web site".

The Imperial and Coachella Valleys of southern California - and the corresponding Mexicali Valley and Colorado River Delta in Mexico - are part of the Salton Trough, a large geologic structure known to geologists as a graben or rift valley that extends into the Gulf of California. The trough is a geologically complex zone formed by interaction of the San Andreas transform fault system that is, broadly speaking, moving southern California towards Alaska; and the northward motion of the Gulf of California segment of the East Pacific Rise that continues to widen the Gulf of California by sea-floor spreading.

Sediments deposited by the Colorado River have been filling the northern rift valley (the Salton Trough) for the past several million years, excluding the waters of the Gulf of California and providing a fertile environment - together with irrigation--for the development of extensive agriculture in the region (visible as green and yellow-brown fields at image center). The Salton Sea, a favorite landmark of astronauts in low earth orbit, was formed by an irrigation canal rupture in 1905, and today is sustained by agricultural runoff water.

A wide array of varying landforms and land uses in the Salton Trough are visible from space. In addition to the agricultural fields and Salton Sea, easily visible metropolitan areas include Yuma, AZ (image top left); Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico(image center); and the San Diego-Tijuana conurbation on the Pacific Coast (image left). The approximately 72 kilometer long Algodones Dunefield is visible at image top right.


Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 199k
Mission: ISS036  
Roll - Frame: E - 11034
Geographical Name: MEXICO  
Features: YUMA,SAN DIEGO,MEXICALI,SALTON SEA,COLORADO RIVER DELTA,TIJUANA  
Center Lat x Lon: 32.5N x 115.5W
Film Exposure:   N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: 10
 
Camera:: N5
 
Camera Tilt: 17   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 50  
 
Nadir to Photo Center Direction: N   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:  
 
Date: 20130621   YYYYMMDD
Time: 211531   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 31.4N  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 115.4W  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 255   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 220   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: 68   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views: COAST, RIFT, VALLEY  
Water Views: DELTA, GULF, RIVER, SEA  
Atmosphere Views:  
Man Made Views: AGRICULTURE  
City Views: MEXICALI, SAN DIEGO, YUMA  

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