Earth observations taken by the Expedition 14 crew

ISS014-E-08138 (9 Nov. 2006) --- Gallipoli and Dardanelles Strait, Turkey are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 14 crewmember on the International Space Station. The city of Gallipoli (or Gelibolu in Turkish) sits at a crossroads between the Marmara and Aegean Seas, connected by the Dardanelles Strait. According to scientists, the strait is a 61 kilometer-long drowned fault valley formed during tectonic activity during the Tertiary period as the Arabian, Indian, and African plates collided with the Eurasian plate. This faulting, which formed the great mountain ranges of the Alps and Himalayas, also created the rugged terrain of western Turkey visible in the lower half of this image. Plate collision continues today, leading to frequent strike-slip (side-by-side relative motion along a fault, rather than up or down motion) earthquakes in the region as Turkey moves westward in relation to Eurasia (sometimes called escape tectonics). The urbanized area of modern Gallipoli is visible as a light gray to pink region at the entrance to the Dardanelles Strait. Water in the Strait flows in both northeast and southwest directions due to opposite surface and undercurrents. Several ships are visible in the Strait to the southwest of Gallipoli (center left).