SPACEPHOTOS

Four mountain ranges are discernible in this color infrared, near-vertical photograph of the northwest part of the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area—the Santa Monica Mountains that form the southern boundary of the San Fernando Valley and lie west of Los Angeles; the Santa Susana Mountains on the northwest side of the valley; the San Gabriel Mountains east of the Santa Susanas; and the Verdugo Mountains, a much smaller range sandwiched between the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains. Apparent are the ground transportation corridors—U.S. Highway 101, Interstate Highway 5, and Interstate Highway 210 that connect the San Fernando Valley with the much larger Los Angeles Basin. Visible are Van Norman Reservoir west of Interstate Highway 5; the east-west runways of the Los Angeles International Airport; Marina del Rey northwest of the airport; and some of the gridded street network of downtown Los Angeles near the junction of Interstate Highway 5, U.S. Highway 101, and the Los Angeles River. The large red areas of vegetation are probably parks or golf courses.