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Guatemala
Fuego Eruption Disrupts Traffic
Guatemala’s Fuego volcano erupted yesterday, filling nearby cities with smoke and ash. Located about 10 miles (16 km) from Antigua, Guatemala’s former capital and tourist attraction, Fuego’s eruption caused the closure of airports and diversion of flights. The road connecting southern and central Guatemala was also shut down immediately after the eruption but reopened later in the afternoon when the atmospheric impact was reduced. As one of the most active volcanoes in Central America, Fuego erupts every four to five years. In 2018, an eruption that killed over 200 people produced a lava flow that destroyed the village of San Miguel Los Lotes. Since then, Guatemalan authorities have exercised greater caution in responding to volcanic eruptions.
This map depicts the location of the Fuego volcanic eruption on December 11, 2022. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Barron’s
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Kosovo
Election in the North Delayed
Local elections in the northern part of Kosovo have been postponed to April due to the area’s political volatility. The election scheduled this month was in majority Serb territories, including Northern Mitrovica and Leposavic, that saw many local ethnic Serbian officials resign over the ban of Serbian-issued license plates. Since then, tensions between ethnic Serbs and Albanians have been escalating. On Saturday, Serbs set up six roadblocks to protest against the arrest of former Serb police officer Denjan Pantic on charges of domestic terrorism for attacking the election commission. The road blockades have not only disrupted traffic, but also halted the border crossings between Kosovo and Serbia. Despite the delayed election, protests over Pantic’s arrest continue, and ethnic tensions remain.
This map depicts the ethnic distribution of population in Kosovo and shows that northern Kosovo is occupied predominantly by ethnic Serbs. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Deutsche Welle
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United States
Orion Returns to Earth
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced a successful end to the Artemis I mission on Sunday with the splashdown of the Orion capsule into the Pacific Ocean. After first striking the Earth’s atmosphere at 32 times the speed of sound and facing temperatures upwards of of 5,000°F (2,760°C) as it went through re-entry, the capsule deployed its parachute and landed in the Pacific near Guadalupe Island west of Baja California. The Artemis mission was a first test of spacecraft and other systems designed to return astronauts to the Moon. NASA officials described the mission, from launch to splashdown as “close to perfect.” NASA scientists will now review data collected by sensors on the Orion capsule to use in preparation for the next phase, Artemis 2, which will see a human crew launched into a similar flight plan as Artemis 1 followed. Artemis 2 is scheduled to launch in 2024.
This map depicts the path of re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere and splashdown for the Orion spacecraft, which successfully landed in the Pacific Ocean yesterday. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Sitting 6,040 ft (1,840 m) above sea level, what is the name of Iran’s naturally terraced and colorful hot springs?
A: Badab-e Surt
Badab-e Surt is a naturally-formed terraced hot spring in the village of Orost, about 220 miles (350 km) northeast of Tehran, the capital city of Iran. The rare geological formation was formed in the Pleistocene and Pliocene eras. Only a few places in the world have similarly terraced hot springs like Badab-e Surt, however Iran’s are uniquely hued red due to the underlying limestone rock and minerals within the water. The site grew after thousands of years of mineral hot spring water went traveling down the mountain – as the water cooled, the carbonate minerals formed jelly-like substances which eventually hardened into the sloping staircase pools seen today. It is believed one of the hot springs spewing highly saline water has healing properties that can help cure rheumatism and some skin conditions.
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Q: Running over 650 miles (1,050 km) long through the Great Lakes, what geological formation shared by the United States and Canada is the basis of some of their most popular tourists areas?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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