Earth from Above: Green River

Caitlin Dempsey

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The Green River is a 730 miles (1,170 km) long tributary of the Colorado River that flows through Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.

Map showing the location of Green River. Map: Kmusser, CC BY 3.0
Map showing the location of Green River. Map: Kmusser, CC BY 3.0

This view of Utah’s Canyonlands National Park shows the meandering Green River as it connects with the Colorado River. Both the Green and Colorado rivers are main sources of erosion in this area of Utah.  Deep canyons have been carved into the landscape by the erosive forces of water and wind.

The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite acquired a natural-color view of Green River on on July 5, 2016. Source: NASA.
The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite acquired a natural-color view of Green River on on July 5, 2016. Source: NASA.

An astronaut aboard the International Space Station captured a segment of the river around Bowknot Bend just north of Canyonlands National Park. Bowknot Bend got its name from geologist John Wesley Powell in 1869 who named it after the way this segment of the Green River nearly doubles back onto itself.  The circular loop of Bowknot Bend runs for 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) before end up only 1,200 feet (360 meters) from the start of the bend.

Astronaut photograph ISS055-E-31251 was acquired on April 22, 2018
The Green River as seen from space.  Astronaut photograph ISS055-E-31251 was acquired on April 22, 2018

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About the author
Caitlin Dempsey
Caitlin Dempsey is the editor of Geography Realm and holds a master's degree in Geography from UCLA as well as a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) from SJSU.