High Res TIFF (7.6 MB)

Western Los Angeles County Topography

The San Fernando Valley (large yellow area) and surrounding mountains are shown on this TOPSAR Digital Elevation Model (DEM) which is used for topographic and natural hazard studies. DEMs made at different times can be compared to identify changes due to Earth movement. The colors in the image represent topographic contours (elevation levels) in repeating color cycles.

A single color cycle, for example from blue to blue, represents 300 meters of elevation. Over 1800 meters of total elevation are shown in the image. Where the land is flatter the color bands are broad; in steep areas the color bands are narrow. The San Andreas Fault (upper right corner) is the sharp boundary between the rugged mountains and the flat valley. Lake Castaic is the dark V-shaped feature in the upper center of the image. The edge of the Los Angeles basin is the blue area along the lower right edge. Santa Monica Bay is the dark area along the lower left edge.

Dept of Conservation URL: http://www.consrv.ca.gov/radar/geosar/index.html
Calgis URL: http://www.calgis.com/company.htm
DARPA URL: http://www.arpa.mil/