Editor’s Note: Today’s caption is the answer to Earth
Observatory’s monthly satellite puzzler. The Colorado Rockies
bring jagged ridges and pyramid-shaped peaks to mind, but not
all of the state’s mountains fit that description. North of
Glenwood Springs and east of Meeker, a series of flat-topped
plateaus dominate the skyline. The Thematic Mapper (TM) aboard
the Landsat 5 satellite acquired this view of the Flat Tops and
the surrounding area on September 4, 2011. An optical illusion
called relief inversion, caused by the angle of sunlight and
shadows, makes the treeless plateau appear lower than the
surrounding landscape. In fact, Flat Top’s plateau is much
higher, standing about 3,750 meters (12,300 feet) above sea
level and 300 meters (1,000 feet) above the adjacent lowlands.
The mountain is part of the Flat Tops Range, a spectacular group
of mountains that were built on top of the White River Plateau
by volcanic activity. In contrast to the explosive eruptions
that defined landscapes in other parts of the