Cool Maps

[Tom]

Mexico at night, exaggerated terrain and city lights

Myanmar, exaggerated

Mexican Penninsula and Southern United States West Coast, exaggerated

Mediterranean West w/Gibraltar & The European Union, exaggerated

Mediterranean North Central Coast, exaggerated

 

[Tom]

Eastern China and Taiwan, exaggerated

Japan, exaggerated

Saudi Arabia, exaggerated

North West South America, exaggerated

Southern South America, exaggerated

 

[Tom]

Alaska & Russia, exaggerated

Denmark, Sweden, Poland and Norway, enhanced

South Eastern Australia. exaggerated

North Eastern South America, exaggerated

Eastern United States, flat, exaggerated lights of cities

 

[Tom]

Persian Gulf, exaggerated

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and NSF Highly Detailed Terrain Map of Alaska using the
Blue Waters supercomputer. This type of map is called an anaglyph. Blank spots are "No Data".

Costa Rica, exaggerated

Indian Ocean Floor Map, exaggerated

Pacific Ocean Floor Map, exaggerated

 

[Tom]

Arctic Region (North Pole) Seafloor Map, exaggerated

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f_YoM6NH...16FylQCLcB/s1600/Atlantic+Ocean+Floor+Map.jpg

Atlantic Ocean Floor Map, exaggerated (to big to post)

North Atlantic Ocean Floor Map, exaggerated

North, Equatorial and South Atlantic Ocean Floor Map, exaggerated, global

Nordic Sea Floor Map, exaggerated

 

[Kevin]

Some cool topographic maps. In regardless to this particular pics, what does "exaggerated" mean in this case? I'm guessing that it means that colors & highlights were manipulated to highlight the differences?

 

[Tom]

Some cool topographic maps. In regardless to this particular pics, what does "exaggerated" mean in this case? I'm guessing that it means that colors & highlights were manipulated to highlight the differences?

The topographical features are exaggerated and/or the city lights are intensified. Most of them are NASA images that have been enhanced or /\exaggerated/\ for contrast. The images are real data but the highs are just a bit higher than in reality. My favorite is the North West South America that shows the Andes rimming the Amazon. I also really like the Southern South America one for how the Andes is depicted. I find South America interesting geologically.
edit to add:
Technically, the Rockies are part of the Andes. Its one long mountain range from the tip of South America to the top of North America.

 

[Tom]

I also find the oceanic floor maps interesting.
The planet looks very different without its water.
Almost ... alien...

 

[Tom]

When you create a driving direction map in Google Earth, you can pull up a route elevation graph of it that shows the route's elevation at different points along the route.

I find this pretty interesting. You can mouse over your route and it places a marker on the graph. Whenever I do a long road trip, it always feels like I'm going uphill. Until I saw this, I thought it was a gradual climb. That's one hellava roller coaster ride.

 

[Kevin]

I find this pretty interesting. You can mouse over your route and it places a marker on the graph. Whenever I do a long road trip, it always feels like I'm going uphill. Until I saw this, I thought it was a gradual climb. That's one hellava roller coaster ride.

That's one heck of a long drive! How many hours does that take you?

 

[Tom]

Here's a simple graphic of the Earth's tectonic plates

 

[Tom]

That's one heck of a long drive! How many hours does that take you?

Last time I drove it non-stop it was 18 hours. I averaged 75mph with cruise control.
I can't make the drive anymore. Last time I had to take 2 rest stops in motels.
Sux getting old.

 

[Tom]

This is an actual representation of Greenland.
In 2013, climate scientists discovered that Greenland houses a crevasse so huge, it rivals the Grand Canyon.
With a warmer Earth, it kinda reminds me of the isolated lost Valley of Dinosaurs. (or a Garden of Eden) LOL

 

[Tom]

Antarctica is interesting...

Lake Vostok

Highlights from the CIA World Factbook
The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency

Area:
total: 14 million sq km
land: 14 million sq km (280,000 sq km ice-free, 13.72 million sq km ice-covered) (est.)
note: fifth-largest continent, following Asia, Africa, North America, and South America, but larger than Australia and the subcontinent of Europe
country comparison to the world: 2

Climate:
the coldest, windiest, and driest continent on Earth; severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than West Antarctica because of its higher elevation; Antarctic Peninsula has the most moderate climate; higher temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing; summers characterized by continuous daylight, while winters bring continous darkness; persistent high pressure over the interior brings dry, subsiding air that results in very little cloud cover

Elevation:
mean elevation: 2,300 m
elevation extremes: lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,540 m
highest point: Vinson Massif 4,892 m
note: the lowest known land point in Antarctica is hidden in the Bentley Subglacial Trench; at its surface is the deepest ice yet discovered and the world's lowest elevation not under seawater

Population:
no indigenous inhabitants, but there are both permanent and summer-only staffed research stations

• Telephone system:
  general assessment: local systems at some research stations
  domestic: commercial cellular networks operating in a small number of locations
  international: country code - none allocated; via satellite (including mobile Inmarsat and Iridium systems) to and from all research stations, ships, aircraft, and most field parties (2015)
  Internet country code:
  .aq
  Internet users:
  total: 4,400
  percent of population: 100% (July 2016 est.)

Airports:
23 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 134

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 23
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 6 (2013)

Heliports:
53
note: all year-round and seasonal stations operated by National Antarctic Programs stations have some kind of helicopter landing facilities, prepared (helipads) or unprepared (2012)

Ports and terminals:
McMurdo Station; most coastal stations have sparse and intermittent offshore anchorages; a few stations have basic wharf facilities