WORLD FROM SPACE - Iran’s Great Salt Desert

Roughly 300 kilometers (200 miles) east-southeast of Tehran lies Iran’s Dasht-e Kavir, or Great Salt Desert. To the untrained eye, Dasht-e Kavir looks like a place that has been bone-dry since the dawn of time. But to the well-trained eyes of a geologist, this desert tells a tale of wetter times. Tens of millions of years ago, a salt-rich ocean likely occupied this region, surrounding a microcontinent in what is now central Iran.

Read More

Dust Storm Hits Iran and Pakistan

The dust storm that arose on January 11 spread toward the south and east the next day. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this natural-color image on January 12.

By the time MODIS captured this scene, the dust storm stretched from the coast of Pakistan to Strait of Hormuz. Thick enough to hide the ground surface below, a river of dust flowed southward past the Dasht-e Lut (Desert of Emptiness) in southeastern Iran. West and south of that desert, mountain ridges poked above the low-lying dust.

Dust storms rank among the leading natural hazards in Iran. Away from the subtropical climate of the Caspian Sea coast, Iran is mostly arid or semiarid, and less than 10 percent of the country’s land is arable.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response. Caption by Michon Scott. Instrument: Terra - MODIS

Read More

Middle East Hit By Massive Dust Storm

A dust storm struck Iraq and neighboring countries this week. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on January 8. A veil of dust extended from northern Saudi Arabia toward the north and east. 

Dust plumes hovered over parts of Iraq, Iran, and the Persian Gulf. Dust engulfed Kuwait, where the Meteorology Department warned residents to expect high winds and low visibility.

Sand seas cover wide expanses of Saudi Arabia, and Iraq is rich in fine sediments from rivers, marshes, and lakes. The fine particles provide plentiful material for frequent dust storms.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response. Caption by Michon Scott.

Instrument: Aqua - MODIS

Read More

Irish Seismic Stations Record Iran Earthquakes

Rescuers search for survivors after an earthquake in Varzaqan in northwest Iran, on Aug. 12, 2012. Image CORBIS.

On August 11th, 2012, at 12.23.18 and 12.34.36 UTC two large earthquakes of 6.4.and 6.3 struck Northwestern Iran approximately 10km apart. There has been severe damage with over 300 casualties and over 2000 injured as result of the earthquakes.

Read More

Analysis Of Iran Earthquakes

Earthquakes with magnitudes 6.4 and 6.3 struck northwestern Iran on August 11, 2012.  The earthquakes occurred midway between Lake Orumiyeh and the Caspian Sea.

Read More