EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


Archive - Landscape Boundary: The Mogollon Rim

January 12, 2020

MogollonRim2

Each Sunday we present a notable item from our archives. This EPOD was
originally published January 14, 2014.
Photographer: Thomas McGuire
Summary Author: Thomas McGuire

Landscape regions are areas in which landforms are related by the
general characteristics of the terrain, or by the geological
processes that formed it. For example, the Colorado Plateau is
dominated by flat-lying sedimentary rocks that have been pushed up
by tectonic forces and incised by river erosion. The best
example is the Grand Canyon. In general, the Colorado Plateau
has less relief than the mountain landscapes that surround it.
Some landscape boundaries are gradual and hard to locate precisely. The
western boundary of the Appalachians and the southern boundary of
the Interior Lowlands are uncertain boundaries. Others are remarkably
sharp. The Colorado Plateau ends abruptly at the Mogollon
(MOH-gee-on) Rim (above) in central Arizona. This is the dramatic
southern boundary of the Colorado Plateau. Here the sedimentary
layers of the plateau give way to a mountainous landscape that leads
down to the Basin and Range province.

Photo Details: Camera: Canon PowerShot SX50 HS; Focal Length: 23.8mm;
Aperture: f/5.0; Exposure Time: 0.0031 s (1/320); ISO equiv: 80.
* Mogollon Rim, Arizona Coordinates: 34.248022, -111.598467

Related EPODs

Archive - Landscape Boundary: The Mogollon Rim Bisti Wilderness
Mushrooms Dreamy Night on Mount Etna Kīlauea Iki Crater
Archive - Solstice to Solstice Changes in Sunlight at Falmouth,
Maine Olympic National Park’s Kalaloch Beach 4
More...

Geography Links

* Atlapedia Online
* CountryReports
* GPS Visualizer
* Holt Rinehart Winston World Atlas
* Mapping Our World
* Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
* Types of Land
* World Mapper

-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 6 weeks, 1 day, 14 hours, 54 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (21:1/186)

EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


Mid-air Icicle

February 12, 2020

IMGP8891

Photographer: Jeanette Stafford
Summary Author: Jeanette Stafford

At first glance, this odd-shaped icicle appeared to be hanging in
mid-air, but on closer inspection I found that it’s actually the
remains of a frozen spider web, still suspended by strands of
silk. The day before I shot this photo an array of webs had been
covered in water droplets – a foggy, and quite chilly December
day. Overnight, temperatures fell to around 23 F (-5 C), freezing the
moisture on the webs and leaving them either coated with frost or
encased in ice. Several webs had already collapsed under the weight of
the ice so I would guess that these strands are at the limit of their
capacity to bear the weight of the ice that’s suspended here.

For scale purposes, the web is spun between uprights on a metal gate
with a gap of about 3 inches (8 cm) so the maximum width of the ice is
no more than an inch (2.5 cm). Photo taken on December 24, 2018.

Photo Details: Camera: PENTAX KP; Software: Windows Photo Editor 10;
Exposure Time: 0.0050s (1/200); Aperture: ƒ/5.0; ISO equivalent: 200;
Focal Length (35mm): 150.
* Glasgow, Scotland Coordinates: 55.8642, -4.2518

Related EPODs

Mid-air Icicle Ice Ovals in Lake Superior Snow, Clouds and
Light on a Winter's Day Abstract Ice Pattern on Pond Snowflake
Sampler Archive - Explaining Ring Patterns in a Frozen Puddle
More...

Cryosphere Links

* Guide to Frost
* What is the Cryosphere?
* Bentley Snow Crystals
* Glaciers of the World
* Ice, Snow, and Glaciers: The Water Cycle
* The National Snow and Ice Data Center Google Earth Images
* Snow and Ice Crystals

-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 3 weeks, 15 hours, 5 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (21:1/186)

EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


Rombalds Moor

March 12, 2020

86709295_10216814230408565_5163125807387770880_o

Photographer: Paul Byron Crane
Summary Author: Paul Byron Crane

Seen above is Rombalds Moor in West Yorkshire, part of the
Yorkshire Dales National Park. A ridge of the Pennine Mountains
can be seen in the background. The Pennines began their geological
history over 500 million years ago ( Ordovician Period) although
most of the rocks remaining today originated about 350 million
years ago ( Carboniferous Period). These ancient hills and dales
were prehistoric when the Angles arrived and mixed with the
earlier inhabitants. My wife's family, the Woads, goes back
centuries in Yorkshire. Woad is a plant that produces blue dye for
the woolen trade and was used as facial and body paint during
battles as seen in the movie “Braveheart”.
* Rombalds Moor, England Coordinates: 53.915, -1.815

Related EPODs

Rombalds Moor Archive - Sheep Mountain Anticline Mulaku
Atoll, Maldives Crescent Moon and Jupiter Conjunction Above Evia
Island, Greece Archive - Petrified Forest of Theodore Roosevelt
National Park Archive - Bird Rock in Chiricahua National Monument
More...

Geography Links

* Atlapedia Online
* CountryReports
* GPS Visualizer
* Holt Rinehart Winston World Atlas
* Mapping Our World
* Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
* Types of Land
* World Mapper

-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 7 weeks, 1 day, 14 hours, 5 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (21:1/186)

EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


Archive - Watkins Glen

April 12, 2020

Watkinsglenex

Each Sunday we present a notable item from our archives. This EPOD was
originally published April 12, 2005.

Provided and copyright by: Len Sharp, Liverpool HS-Annex
Summary author: Len Sharp

The photo above was taken in October 2004 from Watkins Glen State Park,
which is located at the southern end of Seneca Lake, within the Finger
Lakes region of New York. This area is noted for its magnificent gorges
and many waterfalls, such as the one shown above, carved into the soft
sedimentary rocks (e.g. siltstone, shale and sandstone). Watkins Glen
began to form about 12,000 years ago, at the end of the last
continental glaciation, as Glen Creek drained into the steep-sided
glacially sculpted Seneca Trough, now holding Seneca Lake.


Related EPODs

Archive - Watkins Glen The Bismantova Stone Archive -
Hudson Highlands Archive - Eureka Dunes in Death Valley, California
Limestone Pavement at Malham Cove Encore - Eruption of Mount
Yasur in Vanuatu
More...

Geology Links

* Earthquakes
* Geologic Time
* Geomagnetism
* General Dictionary of Geology
* Mineral and Locality Database
* Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
* This Dynamic Earth
* USGS
* USGS Ask a Geologist
* USGS/NPS Geologic Glossary
* USGS Volcano Hazards Program

-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 11 weeks, 4 days, 14 hours, 5 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (21:1/186)

EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


Frozen Sap of a Yellow Birch Tree

June 12, 2020

Sap
Photographer: Josh Brenneman
Summary Authors: Josh Brenneman; Jim Foster

The photo above shows frozen sap from a yellow birch tree
( Betula alleghaniensis) as observed on Spruce Knob, West
Virginia, on April 19, 2020. Sap will find its way to the outer surface
of a tree’s bark in early spring even if the temperatures are more
winter-like. Anyone traveling through West Virginia in the fall knows
that the Mountain State is blessed with sugar maples. But maples
aren’t the only sap producers. Sap from the yellow birch can also be
tapped, and while it’s not as sweet as that of the sugar maple, a given
tree will produce more sap than will a maple. The thin bark of the
yellow birch makes it easy for birds such as the Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker to drill through with their beaks to get to the tasty sap.
Note that sugar maples evidently have an allelopathic effect on
yellow birch seedling that acts to suppress their growth.

Photo Details: Camera: Samsung SM-G975U; Exposure Time: 0.0018s
(1/561); Aperture: ƒ/2.4; ISO equivalent: 50; Focal Length (35mm): 26.
* Spruce Knob, West Virginia Coordinates: 38.699868, -79.532792

Related EPODs

Frozen Sap of a Yellow Birch Tree Living Stromatolites Oak
Tree Leaves Nyctinasty in Ranunculus Flowers Archive - Giant
Amazon Lilies Why are Some Leaves Not Green?
More...

Plant Links

* Discover Life
* Tree Encyclopedia
* What are Phytoplankton?
* Encyclopedia of Life - What is a Plant?
* USDA Plants Database
* University of Texas Native Plant Database
* Plants in Motion
* What Tree is It?

-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 20 weeks, 2 days, 16 hours, 4 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (21:1/186)

EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


Archive - Gneiss and Sandstone Layers

July 12, 2020

P6051620contact copy

Each Sunday we present a notable item from our archives. This EPOD was
originally published July 13, 2003.

Provided and copyright by: Marion O. Weaver
Summary author: Marion O. Weaver

The unconformity in the middle of the above photo marks the contact
between the Proterozoic Era gneiss (at bottom) and the Potsdam
conglomerate and sandstone (above). The gneiss dates to approximately
1.1 billion years (Grenville metamorphism), and the Potsdam layers
formed during the Paleozoic Era -- middle to upper Cambrian Period.
Note the nearly vertical banding in the gneiss as contrasted with the
nearly horizontal and undisturbed bedding of the conglomerate and
sandstone.


Related EPODs

Archive - Gneiss and Sandstone Layers Encore - Bowling Ball
Beach The Beaver's Tale Encore - Panorama of Laguna Verde,
Chile Lava Tube on La Palma Archive - Geological Unconformity
More...

Geology Links

* Earthquakes
* Geologic Time
* Geomagnetism
* General Dictionary of Geology
* Mineral and Locality Database
* Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
* This Dynamic Earth
* USGS
* USGS Ask a Geologist
* USGS/NPS Geologic Glossary
* USGS Volcano Hazards Program

-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 24 weeks, 4 days, 16 hours, 4 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (21:1/186)

EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


Leafcutter Bee

August 12, 2020

Capture
Photographer: Greg Parker
Summary Authors: Greg Parker; Jim Foster

Upon opening up my little greenhouse one morning earlier this summer, I
saw this bee busy at work taking cut leaves into the base of a
flowerpot. This is an appropriately named leafcutter bee
( Megachile rotundata). These solitary bees (each female is
fertile) are very efficient pollinators. Additionally, they’re
quite gentle – it’s unusual for them to sting. Cut leaves are used to
line their nesting site, typically a small hole that already exists –
they don’t make their own holes. Photo taken on June 2, 2020.

Photo Details: Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Exposure Time 0.0050s
(1/200); Aperture ƒ/25.0; ISO equivalent 100; Focal Length 100.0mm.
* New Forest Observatory, U. K. Coordinates: 50.819444, -1.59

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Leafcutter Bee Crucial Corbiculae Bioluminescence off
Southern California Encore - Diatom Colony Superb Camouflage of
the Crab Spider Magpie Feather Coloration
More...

Animal Links

* Animal Diversity Web
* ARKive
* BirdLife International
* Bug Guide
* Discover Life
* Integrated Taxonomic Information System
* Microbial Life Resources
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the
-
Universities Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 3 weeks, 6 days, 15 hours, 24 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (21:1/186)

EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


EPOD 20th - Flowering By Way of Parasitism

September 12, 2020

Flowering
We’re celebrating 20 years of Earth Science Picture of the Day during
the month of September! Today’s photo features a popular EPOD from the
past. Thanks to all of our followers (on the blog, Facebook, Instagram
and Twitter) for supporting us. Thanks also to all of you who’ve
submitted your photos. We’re most appreciative. This EPOD was
originally published December 7, 2012.

Photographer: Menashe Davidson
Summary Author: Menashe Davidson
The Negev Desert in Israel receives less than 8 inches (200 mm) of
rain annually, most of this coming during the winter season. The center
of the Negev is an especially desolate and achromatic place -- even
the few streambeds are dry for most of the year. Here bright colors
immediately attract the eye. The spikes of the dazzling yellow flowers
in this photo are Desert hyacinth ( Cistanche tubulosa) from the
family Orobanchaceae. Cistanche is lacking in green leaves that
contain chlorophyll thus the process of photosynthesis is
absent. As a result, Cistannche must exist as a parasite extracting
nutrients from the roots of other desert plants. It essentially
sucks the water, carbohydrates and minerals it needs from a host
plant, often saltbush. Cistanche's blooming period occurs in March
and April. Note the twigs and leaves of the host plant at top right.
Photo taken on March 20, 2004.

Photo Details: Camera: PENTAX Optio 330GS; Focal Length: 5.8mm;
Aperture: f/4.8; Exposure Time: 0.0013 s (1/800); Software: ACD Systems
Digital Imaging.
* Negev Desert, Israel Coordinates: 30.5, 34.917
-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 2 weeks, 4 days, 20 hours, 20 minutes
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EPOD - a service of USRA

The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory
captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The
community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and
relevant links.


Punta Bianca

October 12, 2020

Twilight At Punta Bianca - Sicily

Photographer: Dario Giannobile
Summary Author: Dario Giannobile

Punta Bianca, in Sicily, Italy, is formed by a white stepped cliff that
overlooks the Mediterranean Sea, which can be accessed after a
short walk along the sandy coast. The cliff is made up of white
marble from the Trubi Formation of the Lower Pliocene.
These rocks represent the return to normal marine conditions of the
Mediterranean Sea after the Messinian salinity crisis some 6
million years ago, whereby the waters of the Atlantic Ocean entered the
Mediterranean basin.

Trubi rocks are variable in color, from white to yellowish to brown,
and are rich in planktonic foraminifers ( Globigerina). They’re
characterized by a rhythmic alternation of marl and limestone.
The stepped shape of the cliff shown above results from
differential erosion processes – the softer marl is more easily
weathered, leaving the more tenacious, resistant limestone. Photo taken
on June 24, 2020

Photo Details: Camera Canon EOS 6D; Software Adobe Photoshop 21.1
(Windows); Exposure Time 0.010s (1/100); Aperture ƒ/11.0; ISO
equivalent 640; Focal Length 20.0mm.
* Punta Bianca, Italy Coordinates: 37.1985, 13.6632

Related EPODs

Punta Bianca Arch Within an Arch Colorado’s Red Mountain
Creek Lives Up to Its Name EPOD 20th - Rubies and Lapis Lazuli
EPOD 20th - Calcite Crystals and Microbial Activity Within the
Earth's Crust EPOD 20th - Hollister Offset
More...

Geology Links

* Earthquakes
* Geologic Time
* Geomagnetism
* General Dictionary of Geology
* Mineral and Locality Database
* Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
* This Dynamic Earth
* USGS
* USGS Ask a Geologist
* USGS/NPS Geologic Glossary
* USGS Volcano Hazards Program

-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 6 weeks, 6 days, 20 hours, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (21:1/186)