Mangaia
- ISS002-E-9925
- 18 July 2001
- 23:04 UTC
Mangaia is the second largest — at nearly 52 km² in area — and also the most southerly of the Cook Islands, located 194 km southeast from Rarotonga.
Surrounding Mangaia is an ancient raised coral reef, rising steeply from the shore, before dropping sharply to the interior of the island. These ancient reefs rise up to 60 m in a series of layers, separating the hilly interior from the coast.
Geologically, Mangaia contains the oldest exposed volcanic rocks on the Pacific plate, with some its rocks being dated with ages of over 19 million years.
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
