An astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this nadir photograph of the Salta Province in northern Argentina while in orbit over South America.
An astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this nadir photograph of the Salta Province in northern Argentina while in orbit over South America. The photo shows the city of Orán (lower-right) and a small section of Aniceto Arce (top), a Bolivian province that is surrounded by the Bermejo River and Río Grande de Tarija.
The meandering rivers in this image are sourced in the Andes Mountains and generally flow southeast through valleys in the foothills—the region between the high mountains and plains. The Iruya River deposits particles of silt and clay as it flows into the valley centered in this image.
Visible indications of the rivers’ shifting channels include river islands, point bars (on the inside curve of streams), and several meander scars. Such scars form when a river gets cut off from the main flow and fills in with sediment, soil, and vegetation.
Read more at: NASA Earth Observatory
Astronaut photograph ISS069-E-23110 was acquired on June 19, 2023, with a Nikon D5 digital camera using a focal length of 400 millimeters. It is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 69 crew.
