Peaks on Peaks

This panorama image features Gemini North, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NSF NOIRLab, and its neighboring telescopes on what appears to be on a flat landscape with low hills. But actually, these small peaks sit atop a much larger mountain. Maunakea is an inactive shield volcano and one of the tallest mountains on Earth. It rises 4205 meters (13,786 feet) above sea level, but extends about 6000 meters (19,700 feet) below sea level to meet the deep ocean floor. Its total height is nearly 10,211 meters (33,500 feet). The peaks seen in this image are actually cinder cones, steep conical hills that form around volcanic vents. They are typically composed of accumulations of pyroclastic rocks released during earlier eruptions. The deep red color of these cones comes from the iron-rich basaltic soil produced during those eruptions.

This photo was taken as part of the NOIRLab 2022 Photo Expedition to all the NOIRLab sites. Theofanis Matsopoulos, the photographer, is a NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador.