Pictured here are Eastern Island and Spit Island, the two smallest of the three islands in the Midway Atoll, located about 3,200 miles west of San Francisco and 2,500 miles east of Tokyo. The atoll was formed as a shield volcano roughly 28 million years ago. Over the millennia, the volcanic island subsided under the sea but the coral reef encircling it has maintained itself and protected the atoll"s three, low-lying islands (Sand Island, not shown in our photo, is the third).
Islands that turned the tide
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Shhh, the movie is about to start
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Vietnam’s new bridge deserves a big hand
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Lighting the way to new beginnings
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Earth Day
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Moving as one
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Aw shucks, it’s oyster season in Galway
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World Environment Day
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Ode to the sun
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Bear watching in the Finnish forest
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Short-beaked echidna, Adelaide Hills, Australia
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Ambassadors of the airwaves
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Watson Lake in Granite Dells, Arizona
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Cherry blossoms at East Lake Cherry Blossom Park, Wuhan, China
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Merry Christmas!
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Winnie-the-Pooh Day
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Auroras over Kirkjufell, Iceland
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Silent night, sparkling lights, and hearts full of joy
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Memorial Day
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Winter solstice
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Zion National Park turns 103
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Sea Otter Awareness Week
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Darwin s Arch
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World Meteorological Day
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International Polar Bear Day
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World Reef Day
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Pasadena Chalk Festival supports local arts education
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World Book Day
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Monarch butterflies, Pismo Beach, California
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It’s NASA’s 60th birthday
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Let’s talk fossils
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

