This image was acquired on June 27, 2015, by the Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8. Read more about the image here.
What was that brain-like pattern featured in our July puzzler and how did it form? The key insight—which none of the hundreds of readers who commented mentioned—was that the pattern was caused by a network of stream valleys and bands of vegetation that follow the contour of the hills. (Read our July 26 Image of the Day to find out why the vegetation grows in bands.) However, reader Stephanie Wurdinger did nail the location on both Facebook and our Earth Matter blog. “This is along the north coast of Somalia between Dayaha and Maydh, in Sanaag region. Mt Shimbiris is just off the upper right hand corner of this image. I believe it is part of the Maydh greenstone belt,” she wrote.
One of the more interesting things about the forests of the Cal Madow is that they are important sources of frankincense and myrrh, the fragrant resins made famous by the Biblical account of three kings bringing them to Bethlehem as gifts. For a more modern take on the frankincense and myrrh trade, check out the video put together by the the Institute for Environmental Diplomacy and Security at the University of Vermont. Skip ahead to mintute 2:30 to join the producers as they bump over rough mountain roads in Somaliland looking for frankincense. The same organization has posted a report about the frankincense industry in Somaliland with many more details.