# @iss on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/C_TFyGfOWrE
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/76362835-iss-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/8440fecc40.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-08-30T14:59:24.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** International Space Station (@iss) — https://gondola.cc/iss

## Caption

The bluest of blues 💙
 
East of the Southern Alps in New Zealand lies a trio of lakes that run near-parallel to one another: Lakes Tekapo, Pukaki and Ohau (from left to right in the first image). The second and third images show the stark contrast of Lakes Tekapo (second) and Pukaki’s (third) water against the surrounding mountainous terrain.
 
What makes these lakes so blue? The lakes are fed by rivers where large, active glaciers are pushing through rocky valleys upstream. The glaciers function like bulldozers, grinding away and pulverizing rocks along valley floors and walls. The process produces a fine-grained powder of silt and clay – called glacial flour – that is picked up by meltwater streams. Since the particles are so fine, they are slow to sink to the bottom, remaining suspended in the water column instead, making the water appear a bright turquoise.

This set of images was taken by NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick as the International Space Station orbited 265 miles above New Zealand.
 
#nasa #EarthFromSpace #Earth #newzealand #lake #southernalps #international #space #station

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 37,527
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- **Comments:** 75

## Credits

No public credits are recorded here. This does not identify who made the post.

## Tags

earth, nasa, lake, earthfromspace, southernalps, space, station, newzealand, international

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