iss01e5107

ISS01-E-5107 (December 2000) --- This nadir view of a Chilean glaciated area was provided by one of the early December digital still camera images down linked from the International Space Station (ISS) to ground controllers in Houston. The remote headwaters of the Rio de la Colonia are located on the eastern flank of the Cerro Pared Norte, a high, coastal range of the Andes in southern Chile. This is but a portion of a larger glaciated region of the Chilean coast located at only 47 degrees south latitude. The river actually begins its flow just off the top of this scene at the foot of the two large, converging, valley glaciers near the center. Some of the numerous lakes visible are tinted by the fine glacial sediments suspended in their waters. Note the shards of ice that have calved from the glaciers into the lakes on the left. Also note the shadows of the crest of the over 14,000-foot mountains (lower center). The remote headwaters of the Rio de la Colonia are located on the eastern flank of the Cerro Pared Norte, a high, coastal range of the Andes in southern Chile. This is a but a portion of a larger glaciated region of the Chilean coast located at only 47 degrees south latitude. The river actually begins its flow just off the top of this scene at the foot of the two large, converging, valley glaciers near the center. Some of the numerous lakes visible are tinted by the fine glacial sediments suspended in their waters. Note the shards of ice that have calved from the glaciers into the lakes on the left. Also note the shadows of the crest of the over 14,000-foot mountains (lower center).