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Germany
Munitions Set Berlin Forest Fire
In the midst of Europe’s historic heatwave, German firefighters are battling a blaze in the Grunewald forest, in the western part of Berlin. The fire started early Thursday morning after an explosion in a munitions storage site located within the forest. The location is used for the controlled detonation of munitions and fireworks. The store of explosives forced the fire department to keep a distance from the facility, but leaders of the Berlin fire department expressed confidence that the larger and more deadly military munitions were contained and cooled properly. The fire is now under control, but further explosions from the munitions site remain a risk. No deaths or injuries were reported.
This map depicts the location of a fire in Berlin’s Grunewald forest, which was set off by an explosion at a police munitions control site. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Bild
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Thailand
Deadly Nightclub Fire
A fire broke out in a crowded music pub built illegally without a license in Sattahip, in Thailand’s eastern Chonburi Province early Friday morning and spread quickly, killing at least 13 people and injuring about three dozen. Police are still investigating the cause of the fire. Some officials believe that flammable acoustic foam on the club’s walls might have accelerated the speed at which the fire spread through the venue. There have been reports of the emergency exit being closed during the fire, forcing some patrons to run out of the building with their clothes on fire. All of the victims were Thai citizens, according to the police. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Friday assured victims’ families they would receive help from authorities and urged entertainment venues nationwide to ensure they have proper emergency exits and safety measures in place.
This map depicts the location of the deadly nightclub fire in Sattahip, Thailand. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Barron’s
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Chile
Giant Sinkhole Near Mine
An enormous sinkhole full of water has opened up near Alcaparrosa underground copper mine in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile. Marked as one of the largest sinkholes in the world, it is up to 656 feet (200 m) deep and 82 ft (25 m) in diameter and is located about 413 miles (665 km) north of the capital Santiago. The mine, owned by Canadian firm Lundin Mining, was shut down upon the discovery of the sinkhole and the area was immediately evacuated near the site. The authorities reported that the sinkhole is stable now and hasn’t caused any injury or property loss or damage. The reason why the sinkhole opened is yet to be discovered, but may be due to ongoing mining operations.
This map depicts the location where the massive sinkhole opened up in northern Chile. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Where is the only place in the world where you can mine for this blue/violet gemstone, a variant of the mineral zoisite?
A: Tanzania
If we’d given you the name of the gemstone, Tanzanite, it would pretty much give away the answer! This exceedingly rare mineral can only be found in a stretch 2.5 miles (4 km) wide and 1.2 miles (2 km) long at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro, in northern Tanzania. The secret to Tanzanite’s beauty is the trace presence of vanadium in the zoisite. Zoisites can take on multiple colors based on the inclusion of other elements, with Kenya’s variety, anyolite, taking on a striking green color, while Norway’s thulite is bright pink. Tanzanite’s mineral make-up gives it a trichoic (three-color) appearance, looking blue, violet, or burgundy depending on how light passes through the stone. Geologists believe that the circumstances leading to the addition of vanadium to zoisite during the volcanic events that created Mt. Kilimanjaro are so unique, the chances of finding tanzanite anywhere else in the world are around 1 million to one. Its unique beauty and rarity once led the jeweler Tiffany & Co to say that it could only be found “In Tanzania, and at Tiffany’s.”
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Q: We recently reported on findings on how humans eventually evolved to digest milk. Which country in the world consumes the most milk per capita?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
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