About the Artists ... 

At first glance, the images in this exhibit could pass for works of art 

created with oil paints, pastels, or mixed media, but the medium is 

actually light. More precisely, it is energy from the Sun, reflected by 

the Earth's surface. The "artists" that capture this energy are three 

state-of-the-art sensors carried aboard satellites orbiting the Earth. 

The frrst of these sensors is the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus 

(ETM+) sensor on the Landsat 7 satellite. Landsat is a joint project of 

the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration (NASA). The ETM+ views the entire Earth's 

surface every 16 days. It takes 57,784 Landsat scenes to cover the 

Earth's entire landmass. 

The second sensor is the Moderate Resolution Imaging 

Spectroradiometer (MODIS), carried on two satellites named Terra 

and Aqua, which are part of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS). 

MODIS views the entire Earth's surface every 1 to 2 days. 

Terra also carries the third of the sensors featured in this exhibit, the 

Advanced Spacebome Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer 

(ASTER). ASTER is a cooperative effort between NASA and two 

Japanese government agencies. ASTER collects data of various parts 

of the Earth in response to scientific or emergency requests. 

Images from all three of these sensors will improve our understanding 

of the dynamic processes that occur on the land, in the oceans, and in 

the lower atmosphere. While the primary purpose of these images is to 

educate and enlighten, they can also enchant with their brilliant colors, 

striking textures, and abstract designs. The collection of images that 

make up Earth as Art 2 were chosen solely on the basis of aesthetics. 

They provide a novel, and undeniably beautiful, view of our world. 

Earthas 2 

A Satellite Persmtive 
Using This Catalog ... 

The images in Earth as Art 2 are grouped by continent or region. In 

this catalog, they are set against a background image of part of the 

continent or region from which they come. However, their placement 

on the background does not necessarily correlate with their true 

geographic location. The images are numbered sequentially, from 1 to 

36. 

All images, including background images, are available to order as a 

paper print and/or digital file. Each image includes a black collar with 

the USGS and NASA logos on the bottom left margin and a brief 

description of the scene in the upper right margin. The paper print 

consists of a 24" x 24" image on approximately 27" x 30" J?aper. The 

digital images will be in Tiff format, which can be viewed 1n most 

standard graphics software. 

To order an image, simply refer to it by name and number. For more 

information or to order, please visit http://edc2.usgs.gov/imagegallery 

or contact us at: 

Customer Services 

U.S. Geological Survey 

EROS Data Center 

47914 252nd Street 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198-0001 

Tel: 800-252-4547 

Tel: 605-594-6151 

TDD: 605-594-6933 

Fax:605-594-6589 

Email: custserv@usgs.gov 
AFRICA 

1. Sahara Desert - Massive sand dunes have 

been swept around and between rock 

outcroppings in the barren Libyan Desert. Only a 

handful of oases lie scattered across this 

especially arid section of the vast Sahara Desert. 

(ASTER) 

2. The Brandberg Massif- Rising unexpectedly 

from the heart of the Namib Desert in northern 

Namibia, the Brandberg Massif is an exhumed 

granite intrusion. Unique plant and animal 

communities thrive in its high-altitude 

environment, and prehistoric cave paintings 

decorate walls hidden in its steep cliffs. 

(Landsat 7) 

3. Ugab River - Elusive, but ecologically vital, 

Namibia's Ugab River only flows above ground 

for a few days each year. The subterranean 

waters underlying this ephemeral river, however, 

are shallow enough in places to fill hollows and 

sustain a wildlife population that includes the 

rare desert elephant. (Landsat 7) 

4. The Niger River - Coursing through parched, 

landlocked Mali in Western Africa, the Niger 

River skirts the edge of the dune-striped Sahara 

before turning sharply south to join the Bani 

River. At the confluence of the two rivers is an 

inland delta complete with narrow, twisting 

waterways, lagoons, and tiny islands. 

(ASTER) 

Background Image - Africa, the second largest 

continent, is a mix of steamy rainforests, vast 

grasslands, and arid deserts. It has no long 

mountain ranges, but is home to the world's 

largest hot desert, the Sahara, and its longest 

river, the Nile. The featured area is the central 

South Atlantic coastal region of Namibia, 

including the cities of Walvis Bay and 

Windhoek. (MODIS) 

WESTERN ASIA 

5. Jordan - Meandering wadis combine to form 

dense, branching networks across the stark, arid 

landscape of southeastern Jordan. The Arabic 

word "wadi" means a gulley or streambed that 

typically remains dry except after drenching, 

seasonal rains. (ASTER) 

6. Great Salt Desert - Like swirls of paint on an 

enormous canvas, shallow lakes, mudflats, and 

salt marshes share the sinuous valleys on Iran's 

largely uninhabited Dasht-e Kavir, or Great Salt 

Desert. (Landsat 7) 

7. Northern Kazakhstan - Mimicking a cubist 

collage, linear windbreaks of densely planted 

trees surround farmsteads in this winter 

landscape near the city of Komsomolets in 

Northern Kazakhstan. (Landsat 7) 

8. Harrat AI Birk - Dark-colored volcanic cones 

sprout from an ancient lava field known as 

Harrat AI Birk along Saudi Arabia's Red Sea 

coastline. Many such lava fields dot the Arabian 

Peninsula and range in age from 2 million to 

30 million years old. (Landsat 7) 

Background Image- Western Asia, the world's 

largest continent, occupies one-third of the 

Earth's landmass. Although divisions are 

somewhat arbitrary, Western Asia encompasses 

the Middle East and countries that surround the 

Caspian Sea, including Kazakhstan and Russia. 

(MODIS) 

EASTERN ASIA 

9. Alluvial Fan- A vast alluvial fan blossoms 

across the desolate landscape between the 

Kunlun and Altun mountain ranges that form the 

southern border of the Taklimakan Desert in 

China's XinJiang Province. (ASTER) 

10. The Himalayas - Soaring, snow-capped 

peaks and ridges of the eastern Himalaya 

Mountains create an irregular white-on-red 

patchwork between major rivers in southwestern 

China. The Himalayas are made up of three 

parallel mountain ranges that together extend 

more than 2,900 kilometers. (ASTER) 

11. Kamchatka Peninsula- The eastern side of 

Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula juts into the 

Pacific Ocean west of Alaska. In this winter 

image, a volcanic terrain is hidden under snowcovered peaks and valley glaciers feed blue ice 

into coastal waters. (ASTER) 

12. Bogda Mountains - The Turpan Depression, 

nestled at the foot of China's Bogda Mountains, 

is a strange mix of salt lakes and sand dunes, and 

is one of the few places in the world that lies 

below sea level. (Landsat 7) 

Background Image - Eastern Asia is dominated 

geographically by China, which stretches from 

the Tian Shan Mountains in the west to the 

sheltered bays of the Yellow Sea in the east. 

(MODIS) 

SOUTH AMERICA 

13. Volcanoes - Steep-sided volcanic cones 

along the Chilean-Argentinean border add 

texture to this "study in blues." Of approximately 

1,800 volcanoes scattered across this region, 28 

are active. (ASTER) 

14. The Andes -Vivid colors belie the arid 

landscape of northern Chile where the Atacama 

Desert, one of the world's driest, meets the 

foothills of the Andes. Here salt pans and gorges 

choked with mineral-streaked sediments give 

way to white-capped volcanoes. (ASTER) 

15. Cabo San Antonio - Several hundred 

kilometers southeast of Buenos Aires, Cabo San 

Antonio juts out into the Atlantic Ocean along 

the Argentinean coast. (Landsat 7) 

16. Jan Park - Fed by multiple waterways, 

Brazil's Negro River is the Amazon River's 

largest tributary. The mosaic of partiallysubmerged islands visible in the channel 

disappears when rainy season downpours raise 

the water level. (Landsat 7) 

Background Image - South America - stretches 

more than 7,500 kilometers from the warm 

Caribbean Sea almost to Antarctica. Waters from 

the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains drain 

into mighty rivers, such as the Amazon, that 

traverse rain forests, grassy plains, and dry 

plateaus to eventually reach the Atlantic Ocean. 

(MODIS) 

NORTH AMERICA 

17. Mississippi River Delta - Turbid waters spill 

out into the Gulf of Mexico where their 

suspended sediment is deposited to form the 

Mississippi River Delta. Like the webbing on a 

duck's foot, marshes and mudflats prevail 

between the shipping channels that have been cut 

into the delta. (ASTER) 

18. The Yukon Delta - An intricate maze of 

small lakes and waterways define the Yukon 

Delta at the confluence of Alaska's Yukon and 

Kuskokwim Rivers with the frigid Bering Sea. 

Wildlife abounds on the delta and offshore where 

sheets of sea ice form during the coldest months 

of the year. (ASTER) 

19. Von Karman Vortices - As air flows over 

and around objects in its path, spiraling eddies, 

known as Von Karman vortices, may form. The 

vortices in this image were created when 

prevailing winds sweeping east across the 

northern Pacific Ocean encountered Alaska's 

Aleutian Islands. (Landsat 7) 

20. Desolation Canyon- Utah's Green River 

flows south across the Tavaputs Plateau (top) 

before entering Desolation Canyon (center). The 

Canyon slices through the Roan and Book 

Cliffs-two long, staircase-like escarpments. 

Nearly as deep as the Grand Canyon, Desolation 

Canyon is one of the largest unprotected 

wilderness areas in the American West. 

(Landsat 7) 

Background Image - North America - The 

third largest continent, North America is a land of 

many facets: frozen tundra, rugged mountains, 

high plains, deserts, and lowland forests. 

(MODIS) 

NORTHERN EUROPE 

21. Vatnajokull Glacier Ice Cap - Valley 

glaciers appear as fingers of blue ice reaching 

out from the Vatnajokull Glacier in Iceland's 

Skaftafell National Park. The park lies on 

southern edge of Vatnajokull, Europe's largest 

ice cap. (Landsat 7) 

22. Shetland Islands- Like a many-faceted 

jewel fashioned in an indigo setting, the Shetland 

Islands lie 210 kilometers north of the Scottish 

mainland in the North Atlantic Ocean. Despite 

their 60 degree north latitude, the Shetlands 

enjoy a relatively temperate climate thanks to the 

warming influence of the Gulf Stream. 

(Landsat 7) 

23. Northern Norway - Like dark fingers, cold 

ocean waters reach deeply into the mountainous 

coastline of northern Norway, defining the fjords 

for which the country is famous. Flanked by 

snow-capped peaks, some of these ke-sculpted 

fjords are hundreds of meters deep. (ASTER) 

24. Delta Region, Netherlands - Along the 

southern coast of the Netherlands, sedimentladen rivers have created a massive delta of 

islands and waterways in the gaps between 

coastal dunes. After unusually severe spring tides 

devastated this region in 1953, the Dutch built an 

elaborate system of dikes, canals, dams, bridges, 

and locks to hold back the North Sea. 

(ASTER) 

Background Image - Europe is a modestly 

sized continent, only Australia is smaller, but its 

long, irregular coastline is riddled with bays, 

inlets, islands, and peninsulas, both great and 

small. (MODIS) 

THE MEDITERRANEAN 

25. Whirlpool Cloud - A giant whirlpool cloud, 

coaxed into shape by high-altitude winds, swirls 

above the sea between Spain and Morocco. 

(ASTER) 

26. The Syrian Desert - Between the fertile 

Euphrates River valley and the cultivated lands 

of the eastern Mediterranean coast, the Syrian 

Desert covers parts of modem Syria, Jordan, 

Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. (Landsat 7) 

27. Southern Coast of France- France's famed 

Provence region meets the Mediterranean as a 

gentle curve intricately sculpted into sheltered 

bays and fringing peninsulas. The ancient port of 

Marseilles, the country's second largest city, 

nestles in the large bay at the lower left corner of 

the image. (Landsat 7) 

28. Mt. Etna - Located on the Italian island of 

Sicily, Mt. Etna is one of the world's most active 

volcanoes. In this image of the volcano in 2001, 

a plume of steam and smoke rising from the 

crater drifts over some of the many dark lava 

flows that cover its slopes. (ASTER) 

Background Image - The Mediterranean Sea 

physically separates -but in other ways 

unites-southern Europe, the Middle East, and 

northern Africa. (MODIS) 

MEXICO and 

CENTRAL AMERICA 

29. Cancun - Known for its beaches and resort 

hotels, Cancun lies at the tip of Mexico's Yucatan 

Peninsula. Inland from this tourist mecca, 

however, lies a sparsely populated tropical scrub 

forest that shelters the ruins of ancient Mayan 

cities. (ASTER) 

30. Pinacate Volcano Field - The pockmarked 

terrain of Pinacate National Park in Mexico's 

Sonora Province is evidence of a violent past. 

Among hundreds of volcanic vents and cinder 

cones are rare maar craters, formed when rising 

magma met underground water to create pockets 

of steam that blew nearly circular holes in the 

overlying crust. (Landsat 7) 

31. Campeche- Named after the ancient Mayan 

Province of Kimpech, the state of Campeche 

comprises much of the western half of Mexico's 

Yucatan Peninsula. Rivers in southern Campeche 

drain into the immense Terminos Lagoon, the 

entrance to which is protected by a long barrier 

island, Isla Del Carmen. (ASTER) 

32. Colima Volcano - Snow-capped Colima 

Volcano, the most active volcano in Mexico, 

rises abruptly from the surrounding landscape in 

the state of Jalisco. Colima is actually a melding 

of two volcanoes, the older Nevado de Colima to 

the north and the younger, historically active 

Volcan de Colima to the south. Legend has it that 

gods sit atop the volcano on thrones of fire and 

ice. (ASTER) 

Background Image - Mexico and Central 

America together form the southern half of the 

North American continent. From the rugged 

deserts of the Baja Peninsula to the steamy rain 

forests of Panama, the region is a land of great 

contrasts. (MODIS) 

AUSTRALIA 

33. Lake Amadeus - Like frantic brushstrokes, 

fire scars cover the arid landscape near Lake 

Amadeus (upper right) in Australia's Northern 

Territory. Lake Amadeus is rich in salts that have 

been leached out of underlying sediments. When 

dry, its lake bed is transformed into a glistening 

sheet of white salt crystals. (ASTER) 

34. Lake Disappointment - Surrounded by sand 

dunes, Lake Disappointment is an ephemeral salt 

lake in one of the most remote areas of Western 

Australia. An early explorer supposedly named 

the lake in 1897 after following a number of 

creeks that he thought would lead to a large lake; 

they did, but the lake's extremely salty water was 

not drinkable. (ASTER) 

35. Shoemaker Crater - Resembling splotches 

of yellow and green paint, salt-encrusted 

seasonal lakes dot the floor of Western 

Australia's Shoemaker impact structure. The 

structure was formed about 1. 7 billion years ago 

and is currently the oldest known impact site in 

Australia. (Landsat 7) 

36. Gosses Bluff- 142 million years ago, an 

asteroid or comet slammed into what is now the 

Missionary Plains in Australia's Northern 

Territory, forming a crater 24 kilometers in 

diameter and 5 kilometers deep. Today, like a 

hull's eye, the circular ring of hills that defines 

Gosses Bluff stands as a ·stark reminder of the 

event. (Landsat 7) 

Background Image - Australia is the smallest, 

and flattest, of all the continents. Its surface 

details are largely the result of erosion. Many 

rivers drain into the continent's harsh, arid 

interior, where they terminate in salt lakes that 

are dry for most of the year. Australia's coastal 

regions, however, are famous for astounding 

biodiversity, from the Great Barrier Reef in the 

northeast to Shark Bay in the west. (MODIS) 


Contributors ... 

Creating the Earth as Art 2 exhibit was a multi-faceted task that 

drew upon the time and talents of many people. 

Special thanks to the following individuals who contributed to 

the production of the Earth as Art 2 exhibit: 

Image Research and Enhancement 

Ron Hayes 

Pat Scaramuzza 

Jane Zhang 

Calli J enkerson 

Image Selection 

Lee McManus 

Jan Nelson 

Shannon Loveland 

Exhibit Image Production 

Kelly Feistner 

Brian Granneman 

Carolyn Gacke 

Many thanks to the following people who contributed to the 

production of the Earth as Art 2 booklet: 

Design and Concept 

Lee McManus 

Production and Print Coordination 

Jan Nelson 

Image and Copy Research 

Shannon Loveland 

Writer/Editor 

Rebecca Johnson 

Content Editor 

Charlie Trautwein 

John Dwyer 

Mike North