Mt Foraker Alaska - Mirages of the 17,400 ft mountain seen by Doug Short from Anchorage 138 miles away. ©Doug Short,
shown with permission.
The mountain is distorted least in the lowest image. On the other iviews parts are raised up with towering near vertical cliffs. The cliffs are half way to the summit in the topmost picture, on others the cliffs are near the base. These are all superior mirages and in part Fata Morganas produced by temperature inversions - cold air below warmer. Light from the mountain is refracted along curved paths by the air density gradients and appears to come from points higher above the horizon.
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