What's in the photo? A giant, sponge-like dome towering above its surroundings
When was it taken? May 19, 2025
The imposing oval structure, which is around 12 miles (20 kilometers) long and 7 miles (12 km) across, is known as the Caldas Novas dome, or Serra de Caldas, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. It is located in southeast Goiás state and towers up to 1,000 feet (300 meters) above the surrounding landscape, although an optical illusion known as relief inversion may cause some viewers to see the raised land as a bowl-like depression.
The dome is blanketed by savanna known as the Cerrado, which covers around a quarter of Brazil and is the second-most-abundant biome in South America, behind rainforests like the Amazon.
The Cerrado is a tropical savanna biome that covers around one-quarter of Brazil. This photo shows a section of the Cerrado elsewhere in Goiás state. (Image credit: Angeladepaula/Wikimedia)
The Cerrado readily soaks up rainwater, making the dome act like a giant sponge. The collected liquid percolates through the monolith's inner structure, refilling submerged groundwater reservoirs that help feed the nearby hot springs with a regular supply of warm water, even throughout the region's dry season, according to the Earth Observatory.
Unlike most thermal baths, the hot springs surrounding Caldas Novas are not heated by volcanic activity. Instead, water within deep fractures in the rock is "heated by Earth's naturally higher temperatures at depth before it circulates back to the surface," Earth Observatory representatives wrote.
While the dome readily soaks up rainwater, it also has several waterfalls around its edge. (Image credit: Sueley Firmino Cavalcante)
The dome and its surroundings are protected as part of Caldas Novas State Park, which was established in 1970. It is home to several unique species, including the red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata) birds, the pequi tree (Caryocar brasiliense), and the wolf's plant (Solanum lycocarpum), according to the Earth Observatory.
You can see this issue in the satellite photo. The region surrounding the dome was likely once covered with the Cerrado, but it is now a patchwork of farms and fields.
See more Earth from space
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Indonesia's 'Twin Peaks' volcanoes
A 2021 astronaut photo shows the surprising similarities between Mount Sundoro and Mount Sumbing, which lie at the heart of Java, Indonesia.
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