Images
July 6, 2026 - Kulunda Steppe
Tweet
The dramatic scenery of southwestern Russia’s Kulunda steppe highlights this true-color image captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on July 2, 2026.
The long streaks, which look similar to giant claw marks across the landscape, were created by tectonic forces that forced the layers of rock to large folds. The darker areas are lowlands and filled with forests, lakes, and bogs while the lighter landscape is higher ground, with rich soils. If you look closely, this land is divided up into rectangles—a sure sign of human-created agricultural fields. These grasslands have long been known as one of Russia’s most productive breadbaskets, providing wheat, buckwheat, soybeans, and other crops.
The round lake near the western (left) edge of the image is Lake Kulunda (also known as Lake Kulundinskoye). It is the largest lake in Altai Krai and, like many of the lakes on the Kulunda steppes, contains salty water. The smaller Lake Kuchuk sits just to the south of Lake Kulunda.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 7/2/2026
Resolutions:
1km (129.7 KB), 500m (358.4 KB), 250m (426.5 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The dramatic scenery of southwestern Russia’s Kulunda steppe highlights this true-color image captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on July 2, 2026.
The long streaks, which look similar to giant claw marks across the landscape, were created by tectonic forces that forced the layers of rock to large folds. The darker areas are lowlands and filled with forests, lakes, and bogs while the lighter landscape is higher ground, with rich soils. If you look closely, this land is divided up into rectangles—a sure sign of human-created agricultural fields. These grasslands have long been known as one of Russia’s most productive breadbaskets, providing wheat, buckwheat, soybeans, and other crops.
The round lake near the western (left) edge of the image is Lake Kulunda (also known as Lake Kulundinskoye). It is the largest lake in Altai Krai and, like many of the lakes on the Kulunda steppes, contains salty water. The smaller Lake Kuchuk sits just to the south of Lake Kulunda.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 7/2/2026
Resolutions:
1km (129.7 KB), 500m (358.4 KB), 250m (426.5 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
