EarthArt: Colours of the Earth will be published by Phaidon in November 2013
Alien Earth: Our Planet from Above
Earth can look pretty unearthly sometimes. In honor of Earth Science Week, TIME presents Bernhard Edmaier's aerial, and close up, photographs from his new book "EarthART"
Bernhard Edmaier
Searles Lake, Death Valley, Calif.
Searles Lake is a drainless lake in the Mojave Desert that sometimes collects rainwater. As the water evaporates in the heat of the sun, the lake becomes a marsh and the water turns to brine. Halophilic (or salt-loving) microorganisms that live in the seabed and that contain the same pigment found in tomatoes, then begin to multiply—giving the lake a distinctive red color.