SPACEPHOTOS

The Karun River, along with Tigris and Euphrates Rivers immediately west of this area, has formed a broad deltaic plain at the northern end of the Persian (Arabian) Gulf. This section of coastal plain is located in the southwest corner of Iran and includes sandy beaches, intertidal flats, and small estuaries. Large quantities of sand and silt are deposited at the mouths of the distributary channels (darker, meandering features upper half of the image) of the Karun River. Except for the deeper channels (darker blues), the coastal waters appear to be shallow with extensive sandbars (tannish-looking features) and a few islands. The darker water inlet (near bottom center) displays an intricate drainage pattern. The Iranian port city of Bandar-e Khomeyni is situated along the northern edge of this inland harbor. The straight, linear features (lower right corner) are highway and pipeline right of ways.