An astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this photo of Mount Damavand (also spelled Demavend) in the Alborz Mountains of northern Iran. Damavand is a dormant volcano with a cone much larger than the white snow-clad summit pictured here in early autumn 2024.
The Alborz Mountains are comprised of folded and faulted rock strata. These strata occupy most of the area shown in the photograph, appearing as prominent linear structures with a marked east-west orientation. Note that the photo has been rotated (north is down) to minimize an optical illusion known as relief inversion.
Mount Damavand, which last…