Salt Ponds, Madura Island, Indonesia
6 October 2012

Note: The area of coverage in this GeoEye-1 image is 3.5 km x 3.5 km.
The reduced resolution image on display has undergone compression and so does not represent the true resolution of the original satellite image.

Reflection from salt ponds is bright in the sun on the island of Madura, off the north coast of east Java. On the coast, a number of plots are first isolated by embankments and then inundated by controlled passage of sea water via small drainage channels. The ponded water evaporates in the sun in this dry region of Indonesia, and salt accumulates on the floor of the ponds. The image displays salt ponds in various stages: under shallow sea water, glistening with salt, with bare muddy floors. The ponds come in different sizes, but are always rectangular or square, and bounded by low embankments. Low red roofed houses mark settlements: a large one towards the northeast and scattered small clusters towards the southwest.