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Italy
Mount Etna Erupts
On late Thursday, Mount Etna erupted in breathtaking fashion, spewing glowing red lava into the night. According to Italy’s National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology, the eruption occurred at a height of approximately 9500 feet (2900 meters) and sent ash plumes 5 miles (8 km) into the sky. Being Europe’s most active volcano, Etna routinely erupts several times a year; over a 6-month period in 2021, Mount Etna erupted so much volcanic material that its height rose by approximately 100 feet (30 meters). No injuries from the eruption have been reported so far. With residential development moving further up the slopes of the volcano, local authorities are evaluating the risk posed by frequent eruptions.
This map depicts the location of Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy. Click on the map to learn more.
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United States
Super Bowl LVI – LA vs Cincinnati
Fans of the National Football League are gearing up for the American sporting world’s biggest event as the Los Angeles Rams prepare to meet the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium for Super Bowl LVI in Inglewood, California on Sunday. Despite record-high February temperatures predicted for southern California, it will be comfortable inside as SoFi, the home stadium for the Rams, hosts the Super Bowl for the first time since opening in September 2020. This is the second time that a Super Bowl-contending team has played for the championship in their home stadium, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning the big game at Raymond James Stadium last year. This is only a coincidence, as host cities for the game are selected years ahead of time.
This map depicts Super Bowl host cities, with data on the number of times each has hosted and the average February temperature. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: LA Times
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Australia
Koalas declared endangered
The Australian government has declared koalas an endangered species across much of its Eastern coast. The announcement comes just two years after a parliamentary report predicted the species’ extinction by 2050 failing interventions, and nearly a decade since koalas were identified as vulnerable in the same areas. Environmental officials say the new designation will offer heightened protections in Queensland and the capital territory of New South Wales, and that Aus$50 million (US$36 million) has been committed to habitat recovery efforts. Unique to the Australian continent, the iconic marsupial has long been threatened by land clearing and deforestation driven by urbanizing sprawl and the expansion of logging and mining operations. Brushfires, which were disastrous in the “Black Summer” of 2019-2020, are also an acute hazard to Koala habitats and are projected to increase in intensity.
This map depicts the primary habitat areas for koalas along the eastern coast of Australia. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: At 19,340 ft (5,895 m) Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the highest point on the African continent. At 515 ft (157 m) below sea level, where is Africa’s lowest point??
A: Lake Assal, Djibouti
A crater lake in central-western Djibouti, Lake Assal sits at the northern end of Africa’s Great Rift Valley. It has no outflow, so all water loss is by evaporation, meaning the increasingly salty lake is currently the third-saltiest body of water in the world. The mineral content of the water and the deposits along the bottom result in varied colored bands, from extreme white at the shallowest points through bright turquoise and emerald to darker blues in the deepest waters.
Source
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Q: Viewed at first as a risky gimmick, where was the first legal forward pass in American football recorded?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
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