Where on Earth: Ouachita Mountains
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Where on Earth is this complex pattern of folded rock layers?
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 Michon Scott: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/46485/ouachita-mountains-oklahoma
- Image of Ouachita Mountains from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), Terra satellite
- Image of eroded remains of ancient mountains by Thomas Shahan
- Written by Katherine Porter
- Designed by Dani Player
- Music from Yesh Music (ASCAP)
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Collage of distinct satellite images of natural phenomena.
Text, where on earth?
Where on Earth is this complex pattern of folded rock layers? Satellite image, layers of rock, much of it green. Text, A, Shimane Japan, B, Manitoba Canada, C, Obwalden Switzerland, D, Oklahoma United States.
D is highlighted, Oklahoma United States. Labels appear on map.
Text, Ouachita Mountains, Oklahoma. The folded and faulted layers of rock that make up the Ouachita Mountains began forming more than 500 million years ago on the floor of an ancient sea.
Around 340 million years ago, tectonic plates collided, thrusting the rocks upward and creating a massive mountain chain that stretched from Texas to Canada.
What we see today are eroded remains of an ancient mountain range. Image, mountains and forests stretch into the horizon.
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?