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May 23, 2021 - Tassilli n'Ajjer, Algeria
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Rich tans, oranges, yellows, and browns wash Algeria’s portion of the Sahara Desert, especially where the brightly-colored Tifernine Dunes meet the rugged Tassili n’Ajjer—a dark sandstone plateau that curves around the edge of the dunes. The rocky plateau stands a few hundred feet above the surrounding sand seas.
Rich in geologic and human history, Tassili n’Ajjer is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site. The geology of Tassili n’Ajjer is complex, with the plateau composed of sandstone around a mass of granite dating from the Precambrian. Tassili n’Ajjer translates to “plateau of chasms,” a name that describes the deep fissures and canyons long ago cut into the rock by flowing water. The dune field below took shape after an ancient lake dried up. More than 15,000 prehistoric etchings and illustrations have been discovered on the cave walls in these rugged rocks, documenting human presence as far back as 6000 BCE.
On May 20, 2021, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a stunning true-color image of the rich colors of Tassili n’Ajjer rising from the dune fields in Algeria. A few puffy clouds sit over the high plateau, casting shadows on the sandstone.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 5/20/2021
Resolutions:
1km (143.1 KB), 500m (365.9 KB), 250m (843.6 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Rich tans, oranges, yellows, and browns wash Algeria’s portion of the Sahara Desert, especially where the brightly-colored Tifernine Dunes meet the rugged Tassili n’Ajjer—a dark sandstone plateau that curves around the edge of the dunes. The rocky plateau stands a few hundred feet above the surrounding sand seas.
Rich in geologic and human history, Tassili n’Ajjer is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site. The geology of Tassili n’Ajjer is complex, with the plateau composed of sandstone around a mass of granite dating from the Precambrian. Tassili n’Ajjer translates to “plateau of chasms,” a name that describes the deep fissures and canyons long ago cut into the rock by flowing water. The dune field below took shape after an ancient lake dried up. More than 15,000 prehistoric etchings and illustrations have been discovered on the cave walls in these rugged rocks, documenting human presence as far back as 6000 BCE.
On May 20, 2021, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a stunning true-color image of the rich colors of Tassili n’Ajjer rising from the dune fields in Algeria. A few puffy clouds sit over the high plateau, casting shadows on the sandstone.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 5/20/2021
Resolutions:
1km (143.1 KB), 500m (365.9 KB), 250m (843.6 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
