North Island, New Zealand
author: Nasa/Novapix
reference: t-ocnze-00001
Image Size 300 DPI: 43 * 43 cm
Smaller but more populous North Island is separated from South Island (southwest part of photograph) by Cook Strait in this high-oblique, south-looking photograph taken from Skylab station in 1973. Occupying an unstable section of the Earth's crust along the "Pacific Rim of Fire" where mountain building and other crustal disturbances occur, North Island has a line of active volcanoes and a multitude of geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, and geothermal steam vents across the central and western island. The northern portion of the island, where the major city of Auckland is located, is characterized by a more gentle terrain with alternating plains and coastal beaches.