ISS astronaut captures stunning photo of Emi Koussi volcano
High above the vast African desert, an astronaut on the ISS captured a photo of the enormous extinct volcano Emi Koussi (Mount Koussi), showcasing lava streams and dry riverbeds carved by the water that once flowed there. At the summit, the astronaut discovered a white lake.
An astronaut on board the International Space Station (ISS), a member of Expedition 72, recently photographed Emi Koussi (Mount Koussi). This massive volcano, extinct for about 1.3 million years, rises in the heart of the Sahara in northern Chad. Standing 11,200 feet above sea level and spanning an impressive 43 miles, the wide volcanic cone is intersected by dark lava streams, which serve as reminders of its fiery past.
There is no trace of snow at the summit
The latest photo was published on NASA Earth Observatory. Emi Koussi, surrounded by sunlit plains of bright desert sand, is the highest point in the Sahara. When we look closely at the photograph, we can spot something extraordinary: white layers, not of snow, but of salt. NASA Earth Observatory informs us that this is the bed of a salty lake that settled at the bottom of the caldera.
The contrast between the dry salty lake and the dark volcanic rock is striking. The dry salty lake is about 2,440 feet below the summit. Nearby, there are also several round volcanic vents, remnants of past eruptions.
Hidden canyons and neighboring volcanoes
Numerous dry riverbeds appear as thin lines on the volcano's slopes, radiating from the caldera, according to NASA Earth Observatory. Despite very low rainfall in the region, geologists believe such channels were formed by water erosion over thousands of years. A few channels on the lower slopes, including those in the lower part of the image, are marked by shadows.
A line of small, round cones and vents appears on the north slope of the volcano. It runs toward the slopes of Tarso Ahon, another large volcanic mountain. The depression between Emi Koussi and Tarso Ahon is occupied by deep canyons, which cast the largest shadows. One of the canyons is 1,970 feet deep and channels water to the west, while another is 820 feet deep and channels water to the east. The canyons were formed in the depression due to the concentration of water flow from both Emi Koussi and Tarso Ahon.
This photograph, labeled ISS072-E-423041 and published by NASA Earth Observatory, was taken by an astronaut on board the International Space Station on December 29, 2024, using a Nikon Z9 digital camera with a 200 mm lens. It was captured during Expedition 72 and comes from the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
