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Malaspina Glacier, Alaska (August 1989)

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Malaspina Glacier can be seen just left of the center of this northeast-looking, low-oblique photograph. Located in southern Alaska on the shore of the Gulf of Alaska, Malaspina Glacier is a classic example of a piedmont glacier lying at the foot of a mountain range—in this case, the Saint Elias Mountains (just north of the glacier). The glacier covers an area of 1500 square miles (3900 square kilometers) on the coastal plain, is nearly 60 miles (97 kilometers) long, and is more than 1000 feet (300 meters) thick. The Seward Ice Field is the principal source of ice for the glacier. The glacier moves in surges that push earlier-formed moraines outward into expanding concentric patterns, which you can see along the flanks of the ice mass. To the northwest of Malaspina Glacier is the curved and pointed Agassiz Glacier, which is also fed by the Seward Ice Field. To the northeast of Malaspina Glacier, located at the head of Yakutat Bay, is the Hubbard Glacier, which surged in 1989, blocking the entrance to Russell Fiord and temporarily trapping a large number of marine animals.

Maracaibo, Venezuela (February 1996)

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This south-southwest-looking, low-oblique photograph shows the Bay of Tablazo and the city of Maracaibo at the entrance into Lake Maracaibo. Maracaibo, the oil capital of South America, is the second largest city in Venezuela. The city is situated on the western side of the channel connecting Lake Maracaibo and the Gulf of Venezuela, which goes into the Caribbean Sea, and serves the rich oil-producing area of northwestern Venezuela. Besides oil, the city exports shrimp, coffee, cacao, sugar, and hardwood. With an average temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius) and high humidity, Maracaibo has one of the least attractive climates in the world; however, air conditioning mitigates the discomfort. The city is thoroughly modern with wide streets and impressive buildings.

Matagorda Bay, Texas (November 1985)

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Sediment-filled Matagorda Bay and its arm, Lavaca Bay, to the northwest, comprise the centerpiece of this near-vertical photograph. Matagorda Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, was first visited in 1685 by French explorer Robert LaSalle on his last expedition. Although the region is often hit with tropical storms and hurricanes, the bay, 50 miles (80 kilometers) long and 3 to 12 miles (5 to 19 kilometers) wide, is generally protected from the gulf by Matagorda Peninsula, a long sandspit, at the west end of which is the entrance to Matagorda Bay through Cavallo Pass; farther west and mostly out of the photograph is Matagorda Island, a sandbar on which Matagorda State Park is located. The small city of Port O’Connor, north of Cavallo Pass, is also discernible. At the east end of the bay is the small delta of the Colorado River, which is 900 miles (1448 kilometers) long and rises in the Staked Plains of northwest Texas. North of the delta, a large holding pond for a nuclear power plant can be seen. Although mostly a cattle-raising region, agriculture (rice, cotton, grain, corn, truck crops, fruit, dairy products, livestock, and poultry) is prevalent. The region around the bay is also noted for its fishing industries.

Mekong River Delta, Vietnam (February 1996)

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This southwest-looking, low-oblique photograph shows the lower Mekong River and its vast delta. Rising on the Plateau of Tibet, the Mekong flows generally southeast for 2600 miles (4160 kilometers) and empties into the South China Sea through a large delta. The Mekong River Delta covers 75 000 square miles (194 250 square kilometers), and, with its many channels still depositing sediment, the delta continues to grow. The vast swampy delta, crisscrossed by many channels and canals, is one of the greatest rice-growing regions of Asia. Even though rainfall is heavy during the summer months, winters are dry and require irrigation for most of the rice-growing area. The Mekong River Delta was the scene of heavy fighting during the Vietnam War. Barely discernible northwest of the delta is Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. Point Cau Mau, the southern tip of Vietnam, is visible southwest of the delta.

Melville Island, Northern Territory, Australia (August 1992)

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Melville Island, a sparsely populated island with fewer than one person per 9 square miles (23 square kilometers), lies off the northwest coast of Northern Territory. The island covers approximately 2400 square miles (6200 square kilometers) and is separated from the mainland by the Clarence Strait. A large part of the island (this photograph shows the eastern two-thirds) consists of sandy soil and mangrove jungles. Although Melville Island is considered part of north-central Australia that is influenced by the summer monsoons, the dry season—sometimes lasting 7 or 8 months—is much longer than the wet season. Fires caused by land clearing activities or by recent lightning strikes are the source of one large smoke pall and some smaller ones. The sediment pattern in the Van Diemen Gulf and Dundas Strait, south and southeast, respectively, shows the surface water current distribution and dispersion at the time this photograph was taken. A dense sediment plume hugs the southeast coast of the island.

Mount Kronotskaya, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia (November 1985)

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The Kamchatka Peninsula, in Russia’s far eastern frontier, is home to more than 100 volcanoes and is part of the "Ring of Fire" that encircles the Pacific from the southern coast of Chile in South America around the Pacific Ocean to South Island, New Zealand. An estimated 30 of the Kamchatka volcanoes are classified as active; therefore, this geologic zone of volcanic episodes continues to be very dynamic and active. This near-vertical photograph shows two prominent snowcapped volcanoes along the east coast of Kamchatka just north of the town of Zhupanovo. The taller volcano, Kronotskaya Volcano (near the center of the photograph), stands 11 570 feet (3525 meters) above sea level and casts a cone-shaped shadow. It exhibits the classic radial drainage pattern, extending downward from its crater. The volcano immediately southwest of Kronotskaya across a small valley displays a very large caldera, with several new calderas and craters within the much larger caldera. The summit of this unnamed volcano is 6 070 feet (1850 meters) above sea level. The triangular body of water between these two volcanoes to the west is Lake Kronotskoye. Numerous smaller, more eroded volcanic features are scattered throughout the view. The swampy coastal plain is dark because there is no snow cover at this time of year.

Mount Rainier, Washington (September 1994)

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Mount Rainier, the highest peak in the Cascade Range at 14 410 feet (4392 meters) with its many glaciers, is the focal point of this near-vertical photograph. A massive stratovolcano with 27 named glaciers and many minor ones, Mount Rainier supports the largest glacier system in the 48 contiguous states. Visible in the photograph are deep cirques, glacier-carved valleys, and sharp ridges on the slopes of the mountain that testify to a much more extensive glaciation during the ice age. Located approximately 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of the Seattle-Tacoma area, the volcano has been dormant since a small explosive eruption in 1850. Mount Rainier began to form from a cinder cone nearly 1 million years ago and is estimated to have reached a height of more than 16 000 feet (4880 meters) above sea level. Geologists speculate that the former summit was destroyed about 6000 years ago by a combination of explosions, landslides, and mudflows. The largest avalanche in recent times occurred in December 1963, when a 2-square-mile (5-square-kilometer) portion of Emmons Glacier, the largest glacier on the mountain, and the upper White River Valley were covered by broken rock and chunks of ice. The surrounding mountains and lower slopes of Mount Rainier are mantled by dense coniferous forests. Mount Rainier, part of Mount Rainier National Park, is a famous ski and recreation resort.

Mount Uweinat, Egypt, Libya, and Sudan (September 1988)

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Located at an elevation of 6345 feet (1935 meters) above sea level in the central Libyan Desert near the borders of northwest Sudan, southwest Egypt, and southeastern Libya, Mount Uweinat (largest of three visible mountains) is seen in this low-oblique, south-looking photograph. As one of the driest regions in the Libyan Desert, wind erosion plays a major role in shaping the landscape. Wind has formed corridors of brightly colored streaks (sand flows) and dark or gray-colored areas which are rocky plains on the lee side of mountains. The landforms of this region of Africa are the best terrestrial analogies for some of the surface processes phenomena seen in photographs of the surface of Mars. Along with Mount Arkanti (in Libya) to its north-northwest and Mount Kissu (in Sudan) to its southeast, Mount Uweinat consists of old, eroded, granitic intrusions.

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