Chilean Volcanoes

 

On the border between Chile and the Catamarca province of Argentina lies a vast field of currently dormant volcanoes. Over time, these volcanoes have laid down a crust of magma roughly 2 miles (3.5 km) thick. It is tinged with a patina of various colors that can indicate both the age and mineral content of the original lava flows.

This image was acquired by Landsat 7’s Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) sensor on May 15, 1999. This is a false-color composite image made using shortwave infrared, infrared, and green wavelengths.

Image provided by the USGS EROS Data Center Satellite Systems Branch