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From Donald P. Schwert,
Department of Geosciences, North Dakota State University
(used by permission):
This image of North Dakota was captured on June 11, 1996, by the
NOAA-12 polar-orbiting weather satellite. It was created by coloring
AVHRR channels 1, 2, and 3 red, green, and blue, respectively.
The forest-covered Turtle
Mountains show as the prominent red ellipse on the North
Dakota-Manitoba border.
The large body of water in the northeastern quadrant of the state
is Devils
Lake. Waters in this enclosed basin have no regular drainage. On
the date of this AVHRR image, Devils Lake reached a 120-year high.
The Missouri River enters into west-central North Dakota.
Its waters are held back (Lake Sakakawea) by Garrison Dam at the point
where the river bends southward. The Missouri River marks the
approximate limit of glaciation in the state. East and northeast of
the river, the state is blanketed with glacial deposits. West and
southwest of the river, the topography is largely bedrock-supported,
with significant areas of badlands.
The Red
River Valley, whose surface was once the bed of glacial Lake
Agassiz, reflects as bright blue along the North Dakota/Minnesota
border.
The Coteau des Prairies, a bedrock upland thickly draped by
glacial sediments, forms the orange-outlined, wedge-shaped landform
whose point just juts into southeastern North Dakota.
Other images:
NOAA-12 1996 July 9 14:19 GMT
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