The sprawling arms of Lake Powell were once the side-canyons of Glen Canyon. This map shows what the canyon looked like before being filled by the reservoir. With the climate change amplified mega-drought bringing lake levels down, we’re beginning to see this spectacular canyon again.
This is a mosaic of five USGS quads from 1953, with modern hillshade derived from Lake Powell topobathymetry and surface digital elevation models, rendered in Blender 3d.
I can spend hours looking at this map, just to see the differences between the late-1800s and now.
The base maps are rooted in the past–vintage and antique maps that show places very different from our current world.
The hillshade effects are contemporary, and the modern world can be seen shadowing the old maps–freeway embankments, dams and reservoirs, and a variety of earthworks.
