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Ethiopia
Hayli Gubbi Erupts
A long-dormant volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region, Hayli Gubbi, erupted on Sunday for the first time in thousands of years, sending a massive ash and sulfur dioxide plume across the Red Sea toward Yemen, Oman, and the wider Arabian Peninsula. The eruption covered the nearby village of Afdera in ash but caused no reported causalities, though local officials fear the ash-blanketed rangeland will threaten the livelihoods of livestock-herding communities. Residents described hearing a loud blast and feeling a shock wave, and tourists in the Danakil Desert were stranded as ash continued to fall. Satellite agencies, including the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center, tracked ash rising up to roughly 45,000 feet (13,716 meters) and drifting across multiple countries before the eruption subsided. Despite the Afar Rift’s frequent volcanic activity, scientists note that Hayli Gubbi has no known eruptions in recorded history, making this explosive event both significant and unusual.
This map depicts the concentration and spread of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere released during the volcano eruption of Ethiopia’s Hayli Gubbi, as captured by the Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI satellite. Click on the map to learn more.
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Iran
Water Shortages Become Critical
Iran’s extreme water crisis is pushing the government towards a possible evacuation and even a move of the capital. President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that if rain does not come soon, Tehran may have to introduce full water rationing and, in the worst case, empty a metropolis of more than 10 million people, as reservoirs sit near empty and one major dam has only weeks of drinking water left. Decades of overbuilding dams, drilling deep wells and ignoring environmental limits have drained rivers, aquifers and lakes, causing land around Tehran to sink by more than 1 foot (over 30 centimeters) in some areas. Iran’s isolation, sanctions and a powerful “water mafia” tied to big construction projects have made it harder to invest in smarter solutions, while ordinary Iranians now endure nightly water cuts and scramble to store bottles at home.
This map depicts the drought conditions across Iran. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Kashmir Times
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World
Origins of Deep Earth Structures
Geologists have formulated a new explanation for two colossal subterranean structures deep inside the Earth. Towering up to 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) high from around the core, nearly 100 times taller than Mount Everest, are two Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs), “blobs” of higher-density liquid rock, beneath Africa and the Central Pacific Ocean. But the existence of these structures contradicted the “magma ocean” model of planetary development, in which scientists theorized that the Earth was covered by a uniform layer of magma billions of years ago, and that as that magma cooled, distinct mineral layers should have formed, as LLSVPs are interruptions what those layers would be expected to look like. The latest explanation is that the LLSVPs were formed by the outward leaking of elements from the core, mixing with minerals in the magma ocean above and disrupting the layering of rock in the cooling magma.
This map depicts the LLSVPs – mysterious structures of denser rock within the mantle near the Earth’s core beneath Africa and the Central Pacific Ocean. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Europe’s largest surviving wolf population can be found in which mountain range?
A: Carpathians
Europe’s largest wolf population, excluding Russia, is in the Carpathian Mountains regions with Romania having the highest numbers. Wolves are the second most abundant large carnivore species, with 23,000 individuals estimated in Europe. Although large carnivore populations are declining worldwide, European gray wolves defy the trend. The wolf population has increased by 35% between 2016 and 2023, mainly due to the rapidly expanding Central European and Alpine populations. Wolves are extremely adaptable and are generalist carnivores, eating whatever mammals are available. They primarily live in mountainous and rural farming areas, but they can survive near cities. Healthy wolf populations help the entire ecosystem, since wolves manage populations of deer and other prey, causing a ripple effect that can balance the whole food web.
Source
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Q: What archipelago has the highest percentage of endemic species in the world, with 90% of its terrestrial species found only there?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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