In one frame International Space Station astronauts were able to capture the evolution of fringing reefs to atolls. As with the Hawaiian Islands, these volcanic hot spot islands become progressively older to the northwest. As these islands move away from their magma sources they erode and subside.
Published Feb 16, 2003
Lighthouses and sandstone formations draw visitors to the shores of Lake Superior.
Published Aug 28, 2016
Lakshadweep’s coral atolls glow iridescent blue-green in this natural-color scene from February 2012.
Published Apr 15, 2012
Myths about these Australian islands seem to provide an ancient explanation for sea level rise.
Published Dec 27, 2019
This approximately true-color image shows part of the Turks and Caicos Islands archipelago, observed September 18, 2001.
Published Apr 17, 2009
Coral, rock, silt, sand, rubble, sponges, and seaweed all contribute to the architecture of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
Published Dec 27, 2011
Acquired September 17, 2005, this true-color image shows Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands. Also shown are Tortola’s smaller neighbors: Guana Island, Grand Camanoe, and Beef Island.
Published Nov 29, 2009
Penguins, seals, and scientists are among the residents of a remote archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean.
Published Dec 28, 2016
Acquired October 2, 2002, this natural-color image shows islands off the coast of Croatia, in the Adriatic Sea.
Published Apr 17, 2011
On most summer days, a trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks means a peaceful day at the beach, but there is evidence all around that this beach is not always so serene.
Published Aug 25, 2016
Barrier islands are found along the edge of every continent except Antarctica, and in 2011 scientists and naturalists are still finding new ones, including this chain along the equatorial coast of Brazil.
Published Jun 3, 2011
