Images & Animations
-
Credit
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC
Caucasus Mountains Turkey.A2003326.0825
Snow paints the Caucasus and Anadolu Daglari mountain ranges bright white in stark contrast to the deep greens, browns, and tans of a winter landscape on the shores of two great inland seas: the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Like a broad belt, the Caucasus Mountains stretch from the Black Sea's eastern shores to southwestern of the Caspian Sea, separating southwestern Russia from Georgia and Azerbaijan. The Anadolu Daglari curve around the southern end of the Black Sea, meeting up with the Lesser Caucasus mountains, which range southeast along the Turkish and Armenian borders.
Smaller lakes stand out like jewels in the scene. In Turkey, spidery lakes form the headwaters of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, which lead down through Iraq - cradle of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization - to empty into the Persian Gulf. At the eastern edge of Turkey, Lake Van's deep blue and green waters mirror those of the Black Sea. In Armenia, Lake Sevana's deepest blue waters stand out against the snow-capped mountains surrounding it. Due south, in northwestern Iran, Lake Urmia's waters are a bright tourmaline green. Bright red dots scattered throughout the image make locations where MODIS detected fires. This true-color Terra MODIS image was acquired on November 22, 2003.
Metadata
-
Sensor
Terra/MODIS -
Visualization Date
2003-12-10
