By Tom Yulsman
From Discover Magazine
Erosion has carved a leaf-like form into
the landscape, as seen in this satellite image accessed with Google Earth. Can
you guess where it is? (Image: © 2013 Google)
When
I spotted this landform on one of my regular Google Earth tours around the
planet, I was struck by how much it looks like an aspen leaf — in autumn, just
as the leaves are beginning to turn.
Where
do you think it is located? I’ll give you one hint: The prominent reddish tones
are indicative of fire scars.
Some
information about the image itself: It is s screenshot from Google Earth. And I
brought it into my Aperture photo application to process the image just a bit.
First,
I played with the curves to deepen the image. Next, I added a little sharpening
and definition (local contrast) to make the relief stand. To emphasize the
leaf-like structure, I darkened the corners of the image (with a vignetting
tool), and did a bit of dodging (lightening) on the mid-tones of the leaf
itself. Lastly, the reds in the original Google image were unnaturally intense,
so I toned down their saturation and luminance.
The
result obviously is not what the scene would look like to an astronaut aboard
the International Space Station. But this is, after all, Earth Art, so I think
a little artistic license is warranted. My goal was to enhance the essential
features of the scene — and then let it speak for itself.
Where
in the world do you think this is? Take a guess, and good luck!
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