Earth as Art
Belcher Islands, Canada
Credit: NASA
The Belcher Islands are spread across some 13,000 square kilometers in southeastern Hudson Bay, but within that area, only about 3,000 square kilometers are actual islands and dry land. Landsat 7 captured this image of the archipelago in August 2000, when the north’s brief summer was coming to an end. The mostly brownish hues of the land areas in this image attest to a lack of vegetation, as cold temperatures prevent the growth of robust forests. The deep waters of the Hudson Bay appear almost black, with the exception of shallower areas close to land, which appear peacock blue. While they may appear delicate in this image, the Belcher Islands are composed of tough rock that has survived long stretches of geologic time. Geologists estimate that rocks in the 1,500-island archipelago range from 1.6 to 2.3 billion years old.
