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Geosciences Imagery for Environmental Humanities Researchers

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

USGS EROS imagery archive https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eros/science/usgs-eros-archive-products-overview

USGS EROS, Education https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eros/science/education

USGS EROS, Earthshots https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earthshots?from=earthshots

Example, Mining: https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earthshots/mining  

- Mining Operations A Mountaintop Mining, West Virginia, USA story https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earthshot/mountaintop-mining-west-virginia-usa

Mining Operations, imagery from 1975 to 2021 https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earthshot/mining-operations-0

- Yanacocha Mine, Peru: The expanding Yanacocha Mine dominates the land change seen in this series of images. Operated by the Newmont Mining Corporation in Greenwood Village, Colorado, the Yanacocha Mine is the second largest gold mine in the world, and the largest in Latin America.  https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earthshot/yanacocha-mine-peru

The Mining Process, imagery from 1987 to 2021 https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earthshot/the-mining-process-0

- Bakken Oil Boom, North Dakota, USA: Even though oil is underground, Landsat images can reveal related land changes on the surface. The Bakken oil boom has made North Dakota the second leading oil producing state—behind only Texas. Evidence of this boom is apparent on the landscape. https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earthshot/bakken-oil-boom-north-dakota-usa

Land Change A Bakken Oil Boom, North Dakota, USA story, imagery from 2002 to 2017  https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earthshot/land-change

 

USGS EROS Earth As Art

Earth As Art 1 https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earth-as-art-1

Example: Once a vast carpet of healthy vegetation, the Amazon rain forest is changing rapidly. This image of Bolivia shows dramatic deforestation in the Amazon Basin. Loggers have cut long paths into the forest, while ranchers have cleared large blocks for their herds. Fanning out from these clear-cut areas are settlements built in radial arrangements of fields and farms. Healthy vegetation appears bright red in this image. https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earth-as-art-1/bolivian-deforestation

Earth As Art 2 https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earth-as-art-2

Example: Between the fertile Euphrates River valley and the cultivated lands of the eastern Mediterranean coast, the Syrian Desert covers parts of modern Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earth-as-art-2/the-syrian-desert

Earth As Art 3 https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earth-as-art-3

Example: This stretch of Iceland's northern coast resembles a tiger's head complete with stripes of orange, black, and white. The tiger's mouth is the great Eyjafjorour, a deep fjord that juts into the mainland between steep mountains. The name means "island fjord," derived from the tiny, tear-shaped Hrisey Island near its mouth. The ice-free port city of Akureyri lies near the fjord's narrow tip, and is Iceland's second largest population center after the capital, Reykjavik. https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earth-as-art-3/icelandic-tiger   

Earth As Art 4 https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earth-as-art-4

Example: These green and blue swirls in the Bering Sea reveal the bottom of the food chain in the ocean. Microscopic organisms called phytoplankton, which are important to fish populations, may be too small to be seen individually, but in vast numbers they are visible from space. The white clouds in the image look like bubbles in an aquarium. https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earth-as-art-4/earths-aquarium

Earth As Art 5 https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earth-as-art-5

Example: Extensive farmland in northeastern China shows a predictable pattern of vertical shapes. But on closer inspection, the shapes begin to look more random, with variances everywhere. Look closely to be surprised by patterns and broken patterns. https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earth-as-art-5/shifting-shapes

Earth As Art 6 https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earth-as-art-6

Example: A vast, open expanse in Namibia is one of the largest salt pans in the world. The pan is within Etosha National Park, protected since 1907. The horizontal line across the image is the national park fence. The wild patterns in this infrared interpretation are from numerous episodes of water evaporation following seasonal rains. The salt from the water is rearranged into new patterns every time the shallow water dries out. The surrounding blue shades are dry bushland savanna. https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earth-as-art-6/salty-desolation

Chemistry, Geosciences and Environmental Studies Librarian

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Emily Wild
ewild@princeton.edu
Contact:
212 Lewis Science Library
609-258-5484
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