Desert Colors

An image of Tassili n’Ajjer National Park, part of the Sahara Desert, is made from multiple observations by the Landsat 7 satellite in the year 2000.
An image of Tassili n’Ajjer National Park, part of the Sahara Desert, is made from multiple observations by the Landsat 7 satellite in the year 2000. (Image credit: NASA image by Michael Taylor, Landsat Science Project Office)

This image of Tassili n’Ajjer National Park, part of the Sahara Desert, is made from multiple observations by the Landsat 7 satellite in the year 2000. It uses a combination of infrared, near-infrared, and visible light to better distinguish between the park’s various rock types: Sand appears in shades of yellow and tan; granite rocks appear brick red; blue areas are likely salts. As the patchwork of colors suggests, the geology of Tassili n’Ajjer is complex.

Live Science Staff
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