The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission usually takes us around the Tanezrouft Basin – one of the most desolate pieces of the Sahara Desert.
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Tanezrouft is a location of the Sahara lying in southern Algeria and northern Mali. The hyperarid location is known for its soaring temperatures and scarce entry to drinking water and vegetation, a cause why it’s typically referred to as the ‘Land of Terror’. There are no long term citizens that live right here, only occasional Tuareg nomads.
The barren plain extends to the west of the Hoggar mountains and southeast of the sandy Erg Chech. The terrain demonstrates proof of drinking water erosion that occurred a lot of yrs ago, when the Sahara Desert’s weather was a lot wetter, as well as wind erosion brought on by recurrent sandstorms – exposing ancient folds in the Paleozoic rocks.
The area is characterised by darkish sandstone hills, steep canyon partitions, salt flats (visible in white in the image), stone plateaus and seas of multi-story sand dunes recognized as ‘ergs’. Concentric rings of exposed sandstone strata create a amazing pattern predominantly visible in the still left of the image.
White lines in the ideal of the impression are roads that lead to In Salah – the funds of the In Salah Province and In Salah District. Just over the heart-left of the graphic, an airstrip can be noticed. An appealing, grid-like sample can be noticed in the base of the image and largely consists of human-created clearings and roadways.
This impression was captured on January 12, 2020, by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission – a two-satellite mission to offer the coverage and data delivery essential for Europe’s Copernicus programme.