Images
January 10, 2025 - Southern Ethiopia
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The remarkable and glorious colors of southern Ethiopia were shining brightly on January 8, 2025, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image.
The complex assortment of greens, tans, and russet, highlight differences in topography, soil types, and vegetation in an area that houses many diverse ecosystems. The image centers on the Bale Mountains, a tall range of volcanic origin that sits atop a high plateau. The Sanetti Plateau, which rises to about 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) above sea level, was formed tens of millions of years ago. Sitting atop the plateau, several of the younger volcanic cones that form the mountain peaks rise more than 4,000 meters (13, 123 feet). At its southern edge, the Sanetti Plateau drops rapidly, forming a steep escarpment that holds important niche ecosystems, such as the forests that give the world rich Ethiopian coffee.
A different landscape can be seen in the far northwest (upper left section of the image). Grassy savannas mark the lowlands of Ethiopia’s upper Rift Valley, which is just a small part of the larger East African Rift System. The section of the upper Rift Valley visible in the image is part of the Lakes Region—an internal drainage basin noted for a rich array of small rivers that fill several lakes. From southwest to northeast the lakes seen here are green-tinted Chamo Lake, the long and sediment-stained Abaya Lake, and small Lake Awasa.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 1/8/2025
Resolutions:
1km (190.7 KB), 500m (573.5 KB), 250m (1.1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The remarkable and glorious colors of southern Ethiopia were shining brightly on January 8, 2025, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image.
The complex assortment of greens, tans, and russet, highlight differences in topography, soil types, and vegetation in an area that houses many diverse ecosystems. The image centers on the Bale Mountains, a tall range of volcanic origin that sits atop a high plateau. The Sanetti Plateau, which rises to about 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) above sea level, was formed tens of millions of years ago. Sitting atop the plateau, several of the younger volcanic cones that form the mountain peaks rise more than 4,000 meters (13, 123 feet). At its southern edge, the Sanetti Plateau drops rapidly, forming a steep escarpment that holds important niche ecosystems, such as the forests that give the world rich Ethiopian coffee.
A different landscape can be seen in the far northwest (upper left section of the image). Grassy savannas mark the lowlands of Ethiopia’s upper Rift Valley, which is just a small part of the larger East African Rift System. The section of the upper Rift Valley visible in the image is part of the Lakes Region—an internal drainage basin noted for a rich array of small rivers that fill several lakes. From southwest to northeast the lakes seen here are green-tinted Chamo Lake, the long and sediment-stained Abaya Lake, and small Lake Awasa.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 1/8/2025
Resolutions:
1km (190.7 KB), 500m (573.5 KB), 250m (1.1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
