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.


Glass Bottle in the Atacama Desert

January 06, 2022

Atacama_UV_Bottle

Photographer: Malcolm Park

Summary Author: Malcolm Park

Several years ago, I was on a guided tour of the Atacama Desert
during a meteorite hunt when we came across this beautiful violet
bottle. It was an old, weathered glass bottle and looked like it had
been left in the desert for years if not more. We had no real
evidence of how long it had been sitting in the desert, but it seemed
to all of us that the glass had been stained by the high levels of
UV radiation that is present in this harsh environment. The
elevation is about 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) and the weather is always
sunny with high to extreme UV conditions and no clouds or moisture in
the air. In fact, the Atacama Desert is known for being the driest,
hottest desert on Earth with several weather stations never reporting
precipitation.
* San Pedro de Atacama, Chile Coordinates: -22.9087, -68.1997

Related EPODs

Glass Bottle in the Atacama Desert Preparing for Winter in
Northern Illinois Archive - South Atlantic Hurricane The
Shrinking Great Salt Lake Mass Balance Archive - Longest Day

Climatology Links

* Aerosols: Tiny Particles, Big Impact
* JetStream - An Online School for Weather
* Climate History
* National Centers for Environmental Information
* Global Climate Animations
* NOAA Climate Analysis Branch
* Vital Climate Graphics

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

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 4 weeks, 4 days, 20 hours, 43 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

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.


Muonionalusta Siderite Sample

April 06, 2022

Muonionalusta-siderite-iva

Photographer: Thierry Lombry

Summary Author: Thierry Lombry

This photo showcases a specimen of Muonionalusta siderite found
in Sweden in 1906, of which 500 pounds (230 kilograms) were collected.
The sample above weighs 338 grams and measures 3.2 x 2.6 x 1.1 inches
or 8.13 x 6.6 x 2.8 centimeters, making its density 7.5 g/cm^3.
Siderites are iron meteorites and this sample fell approximately 1
million years ago. Originating 4.56 billion years ago, this family is
one of the oldest meteorites.

This specific specimen contains more than 91% iron - which explains
the difficulty in cutting and polishing it - 8.4% nickel and traces
of rare elements (0.33 ppm of gallium, 0.133 ppm of germanium
and 1.6 ppm of iridium) . It is an example of a fine
octahedrite (Of), the most widespread of the siderites, of group IV
A. Being a metamorphic meteorite, it formed in the heart of an asteroid
of 31 to 68 miles (50 to 110 km) in radius that exploded following a
collision. Crystallization occurs after the metal has melted. Cut,
polished and acid etched, this siderite sample features the
Widmanstätten pattern that formed in temperatures between 1000 and
700 Kelvin. To preserve its quality, this specimen has been treated and
protected against corrosion since rust would appear within 6 months if
left exposed.

Related EPODs

Muonionalusta Siderite Sample Archive - Mud Cracks near Trona,
California Rainbow Pyrite Archive - Naatsis’aan Archive -
Upheaval Dome Grosvenor Double Arch
More...

Geology Links

* Earthquakes
* Geologic Time
* Geomagnetism
* General Dictionary of Geology
* Mineral and Locality Database
* Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
* This Dynamic Earth
* USGS
* MyShake - University of California, Berkeley
* 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 5 weeks, 2 days, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

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.


Devils Fingers

May 06, 2022


1 (17)

Photographer: Mila Zinkova

Summary Author: Mila Zinkova

Devil's Fingers ( Clathrus archeri) fungus is described as looking
like an alien creature that wouldn’t be out of place in a horror movie.
Usually observed in deciduous forests, the striking Clathrus
archeri gives the appearance of long red “fingers” emerging from a
partially buried white ball. This has led to multiple different names
used to describe this fungus, including Devil's finger fungus,
Octopus stinkhorn and Helicopter stinkhorn.

Clathrus archeri reached Europe from New Zealand or Australia around
the time of WWI. It’s thought to have traveled via war supplies or
perhaps in wool, having first been observed in Europe around 1914. In
1982 it was also found in California, where it may have been
transported with bamboo or other exotic plants. Click here to see a
video of this fungus.
-
Earth Science Picture of the Day is a service of the Universities
Space Research Association.

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 9 weeks, 4 days, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

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.


Solar Halo Above Eastern Slovakia

June 06, 2022


DSC_0053

Photographer: Róbert Hlava

Summary Authors: Róbert Hlava; Jim Foster

Shown above is an eye-catching 22-degree solar halo and glitter
path that I observed over eastern Slovakia on the morning of January
18, 2020. Halos such as this one may result when hexagonal ice
crystals, either in cirrus clouds or freely falling through the
lower atmosphere ( diamond dust), act like miniature prisms,
refracting and dispersing sunlight. If the axis of a pencil-shaped
crystal is approximately perpendicular to the direction of sunlight, a
ray of sunlight will pass through two of the crystal’s side faces
and be refracted roughly 22 degrees. Millions of these more-or-less
randomly oriented crystals form circular halos.

I was ecstatic to be able to witness both the atmospheric halo and the
glitter path on the ice-covered lake. Nature always seems to offer new
surprises for us. Make sure to protect your eyes when looking
toward the Sun.

Photo details: Nikon D5300 camera; 11mm; F13; 1/250 second exposure;
ISO 100.
* Rožkovianský rybník, Sabinov Slovakia Coordinates:
49.106111, 21.085556

Related EPODs

Solar Halo Above Eastern Slovakia Multicolored Aurora Over
Finland Supernumerary Rainbow Over Modica, Italy Haleakala
Shadow and Belt of Venus Four Types of Rainbows Over Taiwan
Solar Halo and Sundog over Camelot
More...

Atmospheric Effects Links

* Atmospheric Optics
* Optic Picture of Day: Gruppo Astrofili Galileo Galilei
* Color and Light in Nature
* The Colors of Twillight and Sunset
* Refraction Index
* Image Gallery: Atmospheric Effects
* What is a Rainbow?

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

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 14 weeks, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

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.


Cloud Corona Over the SIerra Nevada

July 06, 2022

IMG_1428

Photographer: Roberta Piazza Gordon

Summary Authors: Roberta Piazza Gordon; Cadan Cummings

Shown above is a cloud corona spotted on a spring morning in the
Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. Coronae are formed when
cloud droplets diffract incoming light from the Sun or Moon, which
produces a colorful region of light interference. Typically, the
most vividly colored coronae are produced by tiny cloud droplets that
are uniform in size. Remember to always take safety precautions
when viewing the Sun. Photo taken on March 15, 2022.

* Kernville, California Coordinates: 35.755, -118.425

Related EPODs

Cloud Corona Over the SIerra Nevada Northern Lights Take Center
Stage Over Central Alaska Solar Halo Over Torres Vedras, Portugal
Glory Observed Above Sicily, Italy Rainbow Flashes Solar
Halo Above Eastern Slovakia
More...

Atmospheric Effects Links

* Atmospheric Optics
* Optic Picture of Day: Gruppo Astrofili Galileo Galilei
* Color and Light in Nature
* The Colors of Twillight and Sunset
* Refraction Index
* Image Gallery: Atmospheric Effects
* What is a Rainbow?

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

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 18 weeks, 2 days, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

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.


Mudcracks: Now and Then

August 05, 2022


Mudcracks

Photographer: Marli Miller
Summary Author: Marli Miller
One of the wonderful things about sedimentary rocks is that they
record the conditions at Earth's surface when they’re deposited -- and
one of the most recognizable features are mudcracks. As we all can
see, mudcracks form as wet, fine-grained sediment dries out, as shown
by the top photo of a shoreline in the Amargosa Valley of
southeastern California (taken in April 2022).

The bottom photo shows mudcracks in the Proterozoic-age
Snowslip Formation of Glacier National Park in Montana (taken
in July 2013). These rocks, deposited in northern Montana's Belt
Basin between about 1.4 and 1.5 billion years ago, likely formed near
the shoreline of a shallow inland sea where the sediment was similarly
periodically wet and dry.

Amargosa Valley, California Coordinates: 36.58001, -116.44487

Glacier National Park, Montana Coordinates: 48.7596, -113.7870


Related EPODs

Mudcracks: Now and Then Mantling on Utah’s Hogback Ridge
Dendrite Inclusion in Opal New Eddystone Rock Varvite Park
in Brazil Volcanic Tunnels of Reunion Island
More...

Geology Links

* Earthquakes
* Geologic Time
* Geomagnetism
* General Dictionary of Geology
* Mineral and Locality Database
* Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
* This Dynamic Earth
* USGS
* MyShake - University of California, Berkeley
* 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 22 weeks, 5 days, 20 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

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.


Wagon Tracks from the Old West?

September 06, 2022


Glacial striations

Photographer: Brian Sauls
Summary Author: Brian Sauls
No, these aren’t wagon tracks from the Old West. They’re glacial
striations, or grooves, that were caused by abrasion from rock
fragments embedded in the base of an alpine glacier that once
flowed in a valley near north-central Colorado’s Green Mountain
Reservoir. These striated and polished rocks consist predominantly of
migmatite, which is an igneous/metamorphic rock exhibiting
alternating bands of light and dark-colored minerals that formed
approximately 1.8 billion years ago, during the Precambrian Era.
They have the appearance of a marble cake and are well exposed due to
the relatively recent glacial erosion. Based on the orientation of
the grooves, one can determine the direction that the glacier flowed.
Photo taken in the summer of 1981.
Photo details: Nikon FM camera; Vivitar 24mm f/2.0 lens; Kodak slide
film; digitized with Kodak slide scanner.


Green Mountain Reservoir Colorado Coordinates: 39.798056, -106.349444

Related EPODs

Wagon Tracks from the Old West? First Light on the Circle
Cliffs Anticline Mudcracks: Now and Then Mantling on Utah’s
Hogback Ridge Dendrite Inclusion in Opal New Eddystone Rock
More...

Geology Links

* Earthquakes
* Geologic Time
* Geomagnetism
* General Dictionary of Geology
* Mineral and Locality Database
* Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness
* This Dynamic Earth
* USGS
* MyShake - University of California, Berkeley
* 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 27 weeks, 1 day, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

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.


Thunderstorm and Rainbow over Zagreb, Croatia

October 06, 2022

20220911_174956-01

20220911_190042-01

Photographer: Neven Tandaric
Summary Authors: Neven Tandaric; Jim Foster
The photo at top shows the approach of a nasty thunderstorm over
Zagreb, Croatia, as observed on September 11, 2022. Note that the
precipitation shaft associated with this storm cell is quite
obvious and is likely an indication of strong winds.

The bottom photo shows a beautiful high-arching rainbow that could
be seen as the storm departed. A portion of the secondary rainbow
is clearly visible at upper right. This fainter bow results from a
second internal reflection in the raindrops. The darker strip of sky
between the primary and secondary bows is known as Alexander's Dark
Band.

Zagreb, Croatia Coordinates: 45.7974397, 15.9399371


Related EPODs

Thunderstorm and Rainbow over Zagreb, Croatia Etna Volcano at
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Twilight Comparison at Curitiba, Brazil, Before and Post Eruption
of Hunga Tonga
More...

Atmospheric Effects Links

* Atmospheric Optics
* Optic Picture of Day: Gruppo Astrofili Galileo Galilei
* Color and Light in Nature
* The Colors of Twillight and Sunset
* Refraction Index
* Image Gallery: Atmospheric Effects
* What is a Rainbow?

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

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 31 weeks, 3 days, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)

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.


Double Cloud Shadow off the Coast of Croatia

December 06, 2022

_DSC7607-copy.png1440

Photographer: Maja Kraljik
Summary Author: Maja Kraljik; Jim Foster
As I photographed a cumulus congestus cloud over the northwestern
Adriatic Sea, off the coast of Croatia, I noticed that it was backlit
by the near mid-day Sun. As this cloud grew and developed, an
eye-catching double shadow began to appear immediately above it.
Projected shadows may be observed when the cloud’s shadow is cast upon
a thin layer of dust, haze or other aerosols. In this case
the source of dust was likely the Sahara Desert. Such shadows are
typically seen when looking within about 10 degrees of the solar
disk. Note also the crepuscular rays -- above the cloud top. Photo
taken on October 3, 2021, at 11:30 a.m. local time.

Photo details: ISO 80; f8; 1/250 second exposure.

Northwest Adriatic Sea, Croatia Coordinates: 45.442096, 13.508952


Related EPODs

Double Cloud Shadow off the Coast of Croatia Dust Devils on a
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Sunset Mirages Meteors from Fragments of Chang Zheng 2F Rocket
Launch iridescent Clouds Observed from Tuen Mun, Hong Kong
More...

Atmospheric Effects Links

* Atmospheric Optics
* Optic Picture of Day: Gruppo Astrofili Galileo Galilei
* Color and Light in Nature
* The Colors of Twillight and Sunset
* Refraction Index
* Image Gallery: Atmospheric Effects
* What is a Rainbow?

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

https://epod.usra.edu

--- up 40 weeks, 1 day, 21 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)