Images related to Christchurch, New Zealand

Wellington, New Zealand
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Wellington, New Zealand

New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, sits at the southwestern tip of North Island near the Cook Strait. The city in the second largest in New Zealand (after Auckland), and at 41 south latitude, it is the southernmost capital city in the world. The North and South Islands of New Zealand are located along the active Australian-Pacific tectonic plate boundary. The glancing collision of these two tectonic plates results in uplift of the land surface, expressed as low hills on North Island and the Southern Alps on South Island.

Published Dec 9, 2007

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The South Island, New Zealand
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The South Island, New Zealand

Colors ranging from deep brown to stark white give New Zealand’s South Island its intense beauty. The snow-capped Southern Alps run down the northern shore of the island. The mountains are rising as the Pacific Plate, the section of the Earth’s crust that holds the Pacific Ocean, including parts of New Zealand’s South Island, sinks beneath the Australia Plate, which holds the rest of New Zealand.

Published Dec 22, 2007

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South Shetland Islands and Antarctica
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South Shetland Islands and Antarctica

Astronauts on the ISS captured an unusual, airplane-like view of the Antarctic Peninsula and nearby islands.

Published Dec 5, 2011

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250,000 Earth Photographs from the International Space Station
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250,000 Earth Photographs from the International Space Station

The crew of Expedition 13 recently passed a major milestone: as of late August 2006, more than one quarter of a million images of Earth had been taken from the International Space Station. The 250,000th image is an oblique view (a photograph taken from a side angle) of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. This view provides a sense of perspective and accents topography, in contrast to nadir (directly downwards) views. Snow highlights the peaks of the Banks Peninsula to the southeast of the city. The peninsula has a radically different landscape compared to the adjoining, flat Canterbury Plains, where Christchurch (gray patch to the north) is located. The Banks Peninsula is formed from the overlapping cones of the extinct Lyttelton and Akaroa volcanoes. Subsequent erosion of the cones formed the heavily dissected terrain visible in the image, and sea level rise led to the creation of several harbors around the Peninsula. Erosion continues unabated today, as evidenced by the apron of greenish blue, sediment-laden waters surrounding the Banks Peninsula.

Published Aug 28, 2006

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North and South Platte Rivers, Nebraska
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North and South Platte Rivers, Nebraska

Lake McConaughy and a tan-and-green patchwork of thousands of agricultural fields dominate this astronaut photo of western Nebraska and northeastern Colorado. The astronaut who shot this view was looking towards the east-northeast, focusing on the thin, green lines of the floodplains of the North and South Platte rivers. These join to form the Platte River near image upper right.

Published Oct 8, 2007

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Topography of New Zealand
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Topography of New Zealand

Published Feb 5, 2005

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Decades of Growth at Port of Busan
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Decades of Growth at Port of Busan

The South Korean port is among the busiest in the world.

Published Sep 5, 2018

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Savage South Georgia
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Savage South Georgia

The remote island may be inhospitable to humans, but it provides a home to major populations of wildlife.

Published Mar 4, 2019

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Seoul, South Korea
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Seoul, South Korea

Published Apr 28, 2003

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Semisopochnoi Island, Alaska
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Semisopochnoi Island, Alaska

Semisopochnoi is the “Island of the Seven Mountains, ” or more precisely in Russian: “having seven hills.” This uninhabited volcanic island is also an important nesting area for maritime birds of the North Pacific.

Published Dec 29, 2010

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