Where on Earth: Marlborough Sounds

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Where is this network of inlets, coves, and bays?

Credits


Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute’s Office of Public Outreach in collaboration with the NASA Earth Observatory (https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/).

Story adapted from Image of the Day post by Adam Voiland: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/91668/making-waves-in-marlborough-sounds

  • Image of Marlborough Sounds from Operational Land Imager (OLI), Landsat 8
  • Written by Katherine Porter
  • Designed by Dani Player
  • Music from Yesh Music (ASCAP)

Transcript


(SPEECH)
[GENTLE MUSIC]
 
(DESCRIPTION)
Collage of distinct satellite images of natural phenomena.
 
Text, where on earth?
 
Where is this network of inlets, coves, and bays? Satellite image, deep green arrays of land that go into the ocean. Text, A, Nile Delta Egypt, B, South Island New Zealand, C, Prince Edward Island Canada, D, Mississippi Delta United States.
 
B is highlighted, South Island New Zealand.
 
Labels appear on map. Text, Marlborough Sounds, South Island New Zealand. The intricate shoreline of the northeastern part of New Zealand's South Island is the result of thousands of years of geological processes.
 
Geologists have found evidence that coastal mountains in this area began to tilt and sink about 1.5 million years ago.
 
At the same time, global temperatures were increasing causing ice to melt and sea level to rise.
 
The rising seas flooded coastal valleys, turning them into rias, drowned valleys that connect to the seas.
 
Geologists think the current coastline began to take shape about 7,000 years ago.
 
In this natural color satellite image, the light blue inlets are shallow estuaries where river sediment has accumulated. Deeper water is darker blue. Patterns of light green fields line the river valleys that empty into the sounds.
 
The map recedes until we have the whole Earth before us . Text, Music courtesy of Yesh Music A S C A P .
 
Where on earth?