SPACEPHOTOS

Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest [19 340 feet (5895 meters)] and most famous mountain in Africa, is located in Tanzania just adjacent to the Kenya border. Three distinct volcanoes can be seen in this near-vertical photograph—Kibo (center volcano) with the highest peak and a permanent glacier and snow field at its summit; Shira (most westerly), the oldest that has been eroded into a plateau-like feature standing 12 395 feet (3778 meters) above sea level; and Mawenzi (most easterly) with a well-defined peak that reaches 17 564 feet (5354 meters) above sea level. The overlapping lava flows from these three volcanoes have almost obliterated their individual uniqueness into a single complex volcanic feature. The southern flanks of the mountain are more deeply eroded than northern slopes. Perhaps the cloud buildup indicates the increased severity of erosion is caused by more precipitation on the southern slopes than on the northern slopes.