SPACEPHOTOS

Mount Fuji Area, Honshu, Japan October 1993. Located approximately 60 miles (95 km) southwest of Tokyo, Mt. Fuji (snow capped peak, center of image) is Japan’s most sacred mountain. Mt. Fuji, an almost symmetrical stratovolcano, is Japan’s tallest mountain at 12388 feet (3776 meters) above sea level. Although scattered clouds obscure some of the mountainous terrain in the region, the color infrared image (green vegetation is shown as shades of red) helps to identify the forested, steep sloped mountains. The different shades of red indicate the extent of green vegetation from the forested mountains (deep reds) to the cultivated fields (pinkish colors) in the valleys and along the coast of Suruga Bay (upper right). The Fuji River Valley is visible (linear, light colored feature) as it passes through a mountainous area near the western side of the volcano (right side of image). The pink area at the bottom (center) of the image is part of the Kofu Valley. The angular-looking, lighter-colored landscape on the flanks of Fuji Volcano is the result of clear cutting logging operations