MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109.  TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

IMAGE CAPTION                      P-49602ac
                                   February 12, 1998
                                   3-D/AIRSAR

This three-dimensional image was created with data taken by 
NASA's Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) of the Angkor 
Wat temple area in Cambodia. Height data generated using radar 
interferometry, a technique pioneered by JPL that combines two 
radar images, was used to simulate this perspective view. Every 
tourist to the ancient city visits Angkor Wat but close by, yet 
unknown, is this Kapilapura mound shown in the bottom right 
corner. The mound, a slight but natural rise in the flat terrain, 
was spotted by JPL scientists using the radar data and led 
archaeologists to survey the now deserted forest. Temple remains 
on the mound formed part of the city or 'pura'. Occupational 
debris undoubtedly increased the height of the mound over time. 
The Angkor Wat temple is in the center. Its surrounding moat is 
the wide dark rectangular band. The city moat of Angkor Thom, 
'great city', is on the right. In the upper right of the image is 
the 99 meter- high (325 feet)  sacred mountain, Phnom Bakheng. 
Forested areas appear yellow on the radar image; cleared areas, 
including the vegetation-free moat and the area around the 
temple, appear blue. These data show that the Angkor Wat temple 
is approximately 27 meters (81 feet) high whereas the mound is 
only 6 meters (19 feet) high. Field checks of the mound area in 
December 1997 revealed the remains of several temples neglected 
since cursory French visits in 1904 and 1911 to record 
inscriptions.  The 10th century inscriptions testify to long term 
occupation of Angkor. In the same way, villagers occupied the 
site which became the city of Angkor before the first temple was 
built in the 7th century AD. These data were collected on 
December 6, 1996 as part of AIRSAR's mission to the Pacific Rim.  
The AIRSAR instrument flies onboard a NASA DC-8 aircraft.

                             #####