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.


Willow Falls Near Hudson, Wisconsin

August 12, 2021

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Photographer: Dale Hugo

Summary Author: Dale Hugo

This photo is of the fantastic Willow Falls in the Willow River
State Park located near Hudson, Wisconsin. The waterfall is
approximately 100 ft wide (30.5 m) and consist of multiple smaller
tiers, with the largest being around 15 ft (4.5 m) tall. Part of the
wider 62-mile long Wilow River, the riverway serves as a tributary
to the St. Croix River that largely defines the Wisconsin-Minnesota
border. As you see in the picture, the falls are stepped in between
dolomitic limestone cliffs. Geological studies have examined the
surrounding limestone formations and concluded the oldest rock samples
date back to the Cambrian Period of the Paleozoic Era.

Although the falls consist of several tiered drop offs, the river is
very accessible, and many people enjoy walking in the river as well as
on the bridge and surrounding trails. We happened to arrive around noon
when the sunlight was streaming into the canyon and illuminating the
area beautifully. It also helped to visit near the summer solstice
because the high Sun angle gave the water a sparkling appearance.
* Hudson, Wisconsin Coordinates: 45.019644, -92.675808

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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 13 weeks, 6 days, 12 hours, 15 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.


From North America to the Holy Land

October 12, 2021


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Photographer: Menashe Davidson

Summary Author: Menashe Davidson

Heterotheca subaxillaris (camphor weed), a North American plant, is
an important invasive species in the Middle East. This plant was
introduced in Israel in 1975 to stabilize the coastal sand dunes in
Israel. It quickly occupied areas that hadn’t yet been exploited by
native species. A rapid evolutionary change occurred within the
introduced populations, favoring root resources allocation, that
allowed this species to establish and expand its range, thus
successfully invading the ecosystems of coastal areas and eventually
the soils of cultivated lands.

The above photos were taken in my citrus plantation, in Tira,
Israel, on May 2021. They demonstrate the evolutionary changes that
enable this species to access any moisture in the ground, gain
nutrients from the soil and flower under the hot, summer sunlight.

Picture 1- Citrus plantation plot. Notice that it’s free of weeds

Picture 2 – Adjacent plot. Here, the citrus trees were uprooted one
year ago. This plot is now infested with Heterotheca.

Picture 3 – The camphor weed reproduces only by seeds. Hairs on the
small seeds assist wind dispersal.

Picture 4 – Seedlings of Heterotheca germinate in the wet soil of
drip irrigation, along the margins of the citrus plot. A basal
rosette of leaves grows from which a tall shoot emerges carrying a
number of flowers.

Bottom photo: Invasive plant in 1-year old citrus plantation.
* Tira, Israel Coordinates: 32.2355, 34.9505

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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 5 weeks, 4 days, 21 hours, 55 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.


Les Demoiselles Coiffées

November 12, 2021

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Photographer: Elena Pinna

Summary Author: Elena Pinna

The impressive Les Demoiselles Coiffées rock formation is one of
the most remarkable geological formations in the Hautes-Alpes
region of France. On the road between Pontis and Le Sauze-du-Lac stands
a row of "hooded ladies", comprised of several meters high rock columns
topped by an imposing stone hat.

The damsels are of glacial origin and consist of rocks from an ancient
moraine, whose brittle rocks have eroded to form these fragile
pillars. Fortunately for these columns, harder cap stone rocks at the
top have withstood the onslaught of time and slowed the loss of the
comparably softer rock below.

Photo data: Canon EOS 6D, 35mm, f/8, 1/320 second exposure, ISO-125.
* Hautes-Alpes, Le Sauze du Lac (France) Coordinates: 44.494, 6.342

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Cracks in Southern Utah
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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 16 hours, 24 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.


Archive - Ubehebe Crater

December 11, 2021

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Every weekend we present a notable item from our archives.

This EPOD was originally published July 4, 2016.

Photographer: Dave Lynch
Summary Author: Dave Lynch July 2016 Viewer's Choice

Ubehebe Crater, shown at top, lies at the north end of the
Cottonwood Mountains in Death Valley National Park, California.
Only about a half mile across (0.8 km) and a few hundred feet deep,
it's nonetheless one of the most beautiful and accessible volcanoes in
the world. It was formed by a phreatomagmatic eruption, in which
upward moving magma encountered subsurface water. The water flashed
into steam and the resulting explosion fractured existing overlying
rock and expelled massive amounts of sediment and bits of lava
called lapilli. While there are countless volcanic lapilli in the
area, no surface magma flow occurred. Another smaller volcanic crater,
Little Ubehebe (at middle), is found nearby. Satellite imagery (bottom)
show a dark blanket of ejecta covering the area. The Ubehebe
volcanics are relatively young, 800 – 7000 years old, though the exact
age remains uncertain. Photos taken on February 8, 2016.
* Ubehebe Crater, California Coordinates: 37.010148 -117.450657

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