SPACEPHOTOS

The dramatic color change in this image that includes the metropolitan Perth area of Western Australia is the result of an abrupt elevation difference from the undulating coastal plains (lighter landscape) to the low range of mountains, known as the Darling Range. The darker terrain that parallels the coastline is a faulted zone along the western edge of the Great Plateau in Western Australia. The wooded, low mountains range in elevation from 800 feet to 1000 feet (250 meters to 300 meters) above sea level. A few of the higher peaks exceed 1700 feet (518 meters). Several reservoirs (dark, irregular-shaped features) are scattered throughout the Darling Range. The central business district of Perth, Western Australia’s capital and largest city (population over 1.3 million), is visible immediately north of junction where the Swan River (thin, meandering dark line) enters Melville Water (larger dark bay slightly above and right of center). The Canning River is also visible as it enters the southeast side of Melville Water. Rottnest and Garden Islands (elongated islands) are observed just off of the coast in the Indian Ocean.