28 Sep

Guatemala: LiDAR Maps Reveal Mayan Ruins

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Micronesia
Plane Crash Landing
An Air Niugini Boeing 737 aircraft holding 47 people made a crash landing after missing the runway on Micronesian island Weno Friday morning. A manager at Chuuk International Airport reported that the plane narrowly missed the target runway by roughly 150 yards before sinking into the island’s lagoon waters. Crew and passengers were safely evacuated with no serious reported injuries. 

This map depicts the island where the 737 plane shortly missed its runway. Click on the map to learn more.

Graphic Source: CNN
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Indonesia
Earthquake in Sulawesi
Friday morning a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck east of Borneo on the Indonesian island, Sulawesi. There are no immediate reports of deaths or injuries but officials have warned people to get to a safe area outside of homes or buildings due to the possibility of aftershocks. The quake struck at a shallow depth of 6 miles just a few hours after a smaller earthquake struck Indonesia in the same area. Officials initially released a tsunami warning but removed it shortly after. 

This map depicts the location of the earthquake’s epicenter off the coast of Indonesia. Click on the map to learn more.

Graphic Source: CBS News
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Guatemala
LIDAR Maps Reveal Mayan Ruins
Using flyover imagery derived from 3-D laser mapping technology, researchers have been able to uncover more than 60,000 ancient Mayan structures in Guatemala. This process of collecting aerial data using laser-pulses to capture the man-made ruins allows people to see past the dense surrounding jungle canopy and uncover the maps of the former Mayan Megalopolis scattered across Mesoamerica. The maps help clearly identify not only the extent of the Mayan Empire across Guatemala, but also aid future researchers in learning more about the societies that altered the landscape for 2,500 years. Discoveries include finding farms and canals on previously thought swampland, as well as countless ancient roads and smaller structures hidden by vegetation. 

This map depicts sites of some of the 60,000 structures uncovered with LiDAR in Guatemala. Click on the map to learn more.

Graphic Source: ECommerceDailyNews

Yesterday’s Answer

Q: What place on earth is closest to the moon?

A: Mount Chimborazo, Ecuador
Mount Chimborazo is the closest place on earth to the moon. This is because of a bulge on the earth where the mountain is located on, makes it the point closest to “outer space.” Interestingly, it is not the highest point on earth, Mount Everest is.

Source

Today’s Question

 

Q:  Which two countries share the longest border in the world?

Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.

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