The formation of the Tethys Ocean, changing sedimentation or, more specifically, erosion and the narrowing of the Tethys Ocean, are themes which relate only indirectly to our aerial picture.
That’s why we will leave them aside and begin with the so-called K-T boundary.
A geological signature dating back 65 million years and represented by a thin band between the Cretaceous period and the Tertiary period.

From the Eocene period, about 50 million years ago, the African plate made a direct northwards movement and drove the Adriatic plate like a spur into southern Europe.
This collision was the beginning of the first compressive mountain-building and lasted only about 5 million years from the upper Eocene to the lower Oligocene.
After a further collision the north Penninicum and Helveticum were overrun until the structure of the Alpine nappe complex was finished in the Pliocene era.
This constriction led to thrust faults over a distance of hundreds of kilometres and to the nappe (folded) structure of the Alps that we know today.

At the height of the Alpine orogeny, the mountain range grew about 5mm a year.
The continental plates continue to converge today at a rate of about 5cm a year.
At present, the elevation is fading out at a rate of 0,5mm a year.
Or so we suppose.

You can see all of this on this poster.
You could call it a snapshot of the earth’s history.
71 photographs taken in 355 channels with Land sat 5 and 7 have produced a uniquely beautiful picture of the Alps and the surrounding region.

Altogether, an area of 1080 by 606 km is shown.
A scale of 1: 1, 2 million means that the image area is 90 by 50, 5 cm.

You can see red cities-typical for satellite shots- then many green shades of different vegetation, brown fields, and deep-blue lakes.

The shadows of the mountain-range are clearly to be seen.
This makes the valleys show up vividly.
Furthermore you can tell where the sun was at the time the photos were taken.

Towns, lakes seas, mountains, land, and landscape regions are named, but this does nothing to diminish the radiance of this satellite picture.

Poster size: 100 x 70
Finish: varnished partly matt, partly glossy.
Paper: 190g