Athens, Greece

This astronaut photograph was acquired June 12th 2004, with a Kodak K60C digital camera with a 400-mm lens, from the International Space Station (ISS); it captures the western extent of the modern urban area. The large basin in which Athens is located was formed by faulting and has accumulated thick deposits of clays and alluvium. These clay deposits were the source of Athens' historical (and current) pottery trade. However, the same tectonic processes that lead to the formation of the basin - ongoing collision of the Eurasian and African plates - are also responsible for frequent strong and damaging earthquakes in the region