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Turkey
Earthquake Death Toll Over 2,000
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey in the early hours of Monday morning, and was followed by a separate 7.5 magnitude earthquake nine hours later. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake is the strongest earthquake to hit Turkey in almost a century. The two quakes combined have resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 people across Turkey and Syria, with the number expected to increase as evacuations are underway. Millions of people in countries near Turkey, including Lebanon, Cyprus, Israel, and Egypt, felt the two quakes and the dozens of aftershocks. Governments around the world have been quick to respond to requests for aid, sending rescue and relief teams as well as supplies.
This map depicts the affected areas of the two earthquakes that hit Turkey with the original shock of 7.8 magnitude (labeled 7.7) and the second quake at 7.5 magnitude. Click on the map to learn more.
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United States
Derailment Poses Explosion Risk
On Friday night, a mechanical issue with a rail car axel led to a fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania state line. About 50 cars derailed, carrying a variety of products from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania, however no injuries were reported. On Sunday night, authorities warned of a possible explosion at the site of the derailment, asking residents within a one-mile radius of the site to evacuate. Many residents had evacuated, but more than 500 people declined to leave. The explosion warning stemmed from a drastic temperature change being observed in a rail car. Of the more than 100 cars on the train, 20 were classified as carrying hazardous materials, with 10 of those cars among those that derailed. Early Monday morning, a small explosion occurred as crews attempt to extinguish the burning rail cars.
This map depicts the approximate evacuation area around a train derailment that occurred in East Palestine, Ohio last Friday. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: WKBN
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Space
Jupiter Has Another 12 Moons
New orbits for 12 previously-unknown moons of Jupiter have been published by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) of the International Astronomical Union. This brings the count of confirmed moons orbiting Jupiter to a total of 92, the most of any planet in our solar system. The new moons were discovered by astronomers at the Carnegie Institution for Science who were actually looking for objects in the far solar system, in a search field of the sky near to Jupiter. Only by using stronger equipment to peer more deeply into space were the researchers able to identify the moons that are smaller and dimmer than Jupiter’s other orbiting bodies. The large planet now has so many moons that other newly-discovered bodies found in orbit are no longer assigned mythological names unless the body proves in some way scientifically significant.
This map depicts our solar system’s largest planet, Jupiter, and the orbital paths of its 92 moons, 12 of which are newly-discovered. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Although the Netherlands is known for their tulip fields, the flower is not native to the country. From what Empire did the Dutch originally import the tulip?
A: Ottoman Empire
Tulips, or Tulipa, are a member of the Lily plant family and are believed to have originated in the Tien Shan mountain ranges in Central Asia. Before arriving in western Europe, tulips had been cultivated by the Ottoman Empire for decades, and were officially introduced to the Netherlands towards the end of the 16th century. Just a few years after reaching Holland and Carolus Clusius’ groundbreaking book on the flower, tulips became the most sought-after commodity in all of Netherlands. During this time, tulips were more valuable than gold and cost around 10 times the average yearly salary of a commoner. This period was known as “tulip mania.” Centuries later, tulips managed to become the Netherlands’ saving grace during WWII. In 1944, the Battle of Arnheim was lost to the Nazis, and large parts of the country were blocked by the Germans, cutting off coal and food supplies. A famine struck that winter, known in Dutch as the “Hongerwinter,” and claimed upwards of 22,000 lives. Dutch tulip growers refrained from planting any flowers, allowing the tulip bulbs to be distributed as food, proving to be nutritious while saving lives. Today, the Netherlands is still one of the largest exporters of tulips in the world.
Source
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Q: Breaking off only some 8,000 years ago from the Australian continent, which island nation’s southern low-lying plains are actually geologically a part of Australia?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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