Astronaut Photo Mosaic Captures Lake Powell Sunglint
A 2016 astronaut photo mosaic reveals a rare sunglint effect across Lake Powell's entire length, as drought-driven water level declines expose ancient geological features and Jurassic fossils.
A 2016 mosaic of astronaut photographs from the International Space Station shows a sunglint effect stretching across the full length of Lake Powell. NASA's Earth Observatory released the composite image, which transforms the lake into a visible silver serpent highlighting both its shoreline and submerged landscapes.
Drought exposes ancient landscapes and fossils
Receding waters have revealed the Rincon, a large, doughnut-shaped geological feature up to 3 miles across visible as a dark ring in the lake. This formation is a former section of the Colorado River that dried out thousands of years ago due to a canyon collapse. In 2023, researchers found rare fossils from a mammal-like Jurassic creature beneath Lake Powell's former high-water line, a discovery made possible by prolonged drought conditions. The reservoir's fluctuation continues to expose lakebeds, offering fleeting windows into deep geological and paleontological history.
Lake Powell's role in the Colorado River system
Lake Powell is the second-largest reservoir in the United States, behind only Lake Mead. It was created in the 1960s following the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River in southern Utah. Water levels rose by around 200 feet over the next two decades. The reservoir, which can hold up to 1.2 billion cubic feet of water when full, starts approximately 70 miles southwest of Moab, Utah, and ends roughly 60 miles northeast of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. It is named for John Wesley Powell, the explorer and former U.S. Geological Survey director who mapped Glen Canyon in the late 1860s and wrote about it in his 1875 book 'Canyons of the Colorado'. The Colorado River itself has lost a significant amount of water in recent decades.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Reservoir Rank (U.S.) | Second-largest |
| Creation | 1960s, after Glen Canyon Dam |
| Water level rise post-dam | ~200 feet (60 meters) |
| Maximum capacity | 1.2 billion cubic feet (33.3 million cubic meters) |
| Approximate start | 70 miles (110 km) SW of Moab, UT |
| Approximate end | 60 miles (100 km) NE of Grand Canyon, AZ |
Environmental calls to drain lake face skepticism
Some environmental groups have petitioned to drain Lake Powell to restore Glen Canyon, which they describe as the heart of the Colorado River. This would reveal numerous submerged archaeological and natural features, including the Music Temple, a side canyon known for its remarkable acoustic properties. However, that draining the massive reservoir is unlikely to happen due to its critical role in water storage and hydroelectric power for the arid Southwest. The reservoir continues to fluctuate with Colorado River flows, balancing water storage needs against the occasional archaeological exposure and ongoing environmental debate.
