Patterns of Water Runoff in Jordan

The effects of the runoff of precipitated water constitute a major part of the physical weathering process of the Earth.

This is a false-color image of an arid area in southeastern Jordan. It was acquired in May 2001 by the ASTER instrument onboard NASA's Terra satellite. It shows the effect of meandering, rain-swollen wadis on the landscape of the area. The Arabic word "wadi" means a gulley or streambed that typically remains dry except after drenching, seasonal rains. This image was featured on the cover of Science, February 4, 2005. The image and description are from NASA and USGS. This and other images from the Terra program can be found at the USGS website. http://www.usgs.gov .

This is a selection of about one fifth of the area of the image above it. It's general similarity to the image of the larger area, and the fact that small sections of it resemble the whole, is reminiscent of a fractal pattern.