The images in this gallery were collected from two satellites orbiting the Earth: the IKONOS and GeoEye-1 satellites operated and maintained by GeoEye.

Satellite imagery captures a dazzling array of features in the natural landscape. How many can you identify? Where else would you expect to find them?

    • atoll
    • bay
    • canyon
    • crater lake
    • erg
    • fjord
    • glacier
    • lagoon
    • moraine
    • oxbow lake
    • river
    • shield volcano
    • stratovolcano
    • volcanic crater
atoll
Noun

a coral reef or string of coral islands that surrounds a lagoon.
atoll lagoon
Noun

shallow, circular body of water between the ocean and a ring-shaped atoll.
bay
Noun

body of water partially surrounded by land, usually with a wide mouth to a larger body of water.
canyon
Noun

deep, narrow valley with steep sides.
crater
Noun

bowl-shaped depression formed by a volcanic eruption or impact of a meteorite.
fjord
Noun

long, narrow ocean inlet between steep slopes.
fjord estuary
Noun

place where a river or freshwater stream flows into a deep, steep gorge carved by a glacier and filled with seawater.
glacial lake
Noun

body of water created by a melting glacier.
glacier
Noun

mass of ice that moves slowly over land.
lagoon
Noun

shallow body of water that may have an opening to a larger body of water, but is also protected from it by a sandbar or coral reef.
lake
Noun

body of water surrounded by land.
moraine
Noun

material, such as earth, sand, and gravel, transported by a glacier.
oxbow lake
Noun

lake formed from an abandoned bend in a river.
river
Noun

large stream of flowing fresh water.
sand dune
Noun

mound of sand created by the wind.
shield volcano
Noun

large, gently sloping volcano made from fluid lava.
stratovolcano
Noun

steep volcano made of hardened lava, rock, and ash. Also known as a composite volcano.

Articles & Profiles

  • Credits

    Media Credits

    The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

    Editor

    Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society

    Producers

    Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society
    Sean P. O'Connor, BioBlitz Education Consultant

    Last Updated

    Nov. 8, 2016

  • User Permissions

    For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please visit our FAQ page.

    Media

    If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.

    Text

    Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.

    Interactives

    Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.