MSGID: 1:317/3 644966c7
PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08
TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08
April 26, 2023 - Australia's Red Centre

   Australia
    Tweet
    Share

   Red and orange outback along with weathered mountain ridges dominate
   the landscape of Australia’s Red Centre in this true-color image
   acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
   on board NASA’s Terra satellite on April 24, 2023.

   The Red Centre is the local name given to the southern desert region of
   Australia’s Northern Territory, and gets its name not only because it
   contains the median center point of Australia, said to be located west
   of the Stuart Highway and south of Alice Springs, but because of the
   stunning red tone of the soils. According to the National Oceanic and
   Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Australia happens to have a perfect
   environment for a form of chemical weathering called oxidation, which
   occurs in rocks that contain high amounts of iron. In a hot, dry
   environment, these types of rocks actually begin to rust. As the rust
   expands, it weakens the rock and helps break it apart. The oxides
   produced through this process give the ground its reddish hue.

   The folded mountains that span this image are the MacDonnell Range. The
   worn, parallel ridges were formed 300-350 million years ago and contain
   not only granite, limestone, sandstone, and siltstone rocks, but also
   stunning red quartzite peaks and gorges. In some areas, dry scrubby
   grassland, known as a xeric shrub ecosystem, provides habitat for
   several unusual endemic species. A patch of gray pixels can be seen
   crossing the mountainous landscape roughly one-third of the way from
   the right (east) side of the image. This is the town of Alice Springs,
   the third-largest town of Northern Territory and the only town of any
   size in the Red Centre.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Terra
   Date Acquired: 4/24/2023
   Resolutions:  1km (208.4 KB),  500m (555.5 KB),  250m (327.7
   KB)
   Bands Used: 1,4,3
   Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-04-26
 
--- up 1 year, 8 weeks, 2 days, 20 minutes
 * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)
SEEN-BY: 15/0 106/201 114/705 123/120 153/7715 218/700 226/30 227/114
SEEN-BY: 229/110 112 113 307 317 400 426 428 470 664 700 292/854 298/25
SEEN-BY: 305/3 317/3 320/219 396/45
PATH: 317/3 229/426