|
|
|
Israel
IDF Expands Operations in Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated it killed dozens of Hamas fighters overnight and struck targets in northern Gaza as part of its expanded ground operations in the enclave. Gaza residents told CNN earlier they had been subjected to the most intense airstrikes since Hamas’ October 7 attack and their communications links had been severed. Since Friday, Israeli forces have stepped up their ground offensive as part of the military response to the October 7 Hamas attacks Israeli officials say killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, with another 239 people taken as captives. The Gaza Ministry of Health reports more than 8,000 people, also mostly civilians and more than half of them children, have since been killed in IDF air and ground attacks. Food, water, and medicines have been coming in through the Egyptian border but concerns about the aid have led to a statement by the International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor that impeding relief supplies to Gaza’s population may constitute a crime under the ICC’s jurisdiction. The number of casualties has sparked global protests calling for a ceasefire, as bombardment continues and there are no safe routes to evacuate.
This map depicts Israel’s incursion into Gaza, as well as the locations of hospitals throughout Gaza City, many of which are exceeding maximum capacity. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
Graphic Source: The Australian
__________________________________________
|
|
India
Train Collision Kills at Least 14
At least 14 people are dead and 50 others have been injured after two trains collided in southeast India Sunday. A train traveling from Visakhapatnam, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, to Rayagada, in Odisha, had stopped due to a break in an overhead cable when it was hit by an oncoming train, between the towns of Allamanda and Kantakapalle in Andhra Pradesh state. The collision led to the derailment of two coaches carrying more than 90 people on the stationary train. A preliminary investigation by the country’s railway ministry suggests human error by the stationary train’s crew is what caused the collision. This collision comes just four months after a prior train accident in Odisha where three trains collided, killing 275 people and injuring more than 1,000.
This map depicts the location of Kantakapalle, in Andhra Pradesh state, where a train collision occurred, killing at least 14 people. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
Graphic Source: Barron’s
__________________________________________
|
|
|
|
World
Supercontinent Diamonds Found
Diamond deposits have been discovered that help geologists better understand the growth of the supercontinent Gondwana. An international team of scientists, publishing their findings in a study in the journal Nature, used these diamonds to analyze the process of continent growth and formation. These superdeep, or sublithospheric, diamonds are located at a depth of 300 to 700 kilometers below the surface. The team conducted their study by transporting the diamonds around the world to be analyzed using mass spectrometers (which measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions) and X-ray diffractometers (which analyze an object’s structure to see its scattering pattern in response to radiation). The diamonds were found to have traces of carbon originated from regional crustal carbonates and organic carbon from oceanic crust.
This map depicts the formation of superdeep or sublithospheric diamonds during the growth of the Gondwana supercontinent. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q: What country has a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is home to a giant sinkhole with a primitive forest?
A: China
In 2022, a cave exploration team in China discovered an enormous sinkhole with a well-preserved primitive forest at the bottom. The large hole measures over 1,000 feet in length, almost 500 feet wide and 630 feet deep, with a volume of over 176 million cubic feet. The bottom of the pit holds an ancient forest spanning nearly three football fields in length, with trees towering over 100 feet high. The giant sinkhole—also called tiankeng, or “heavenly pit,” in Mandarin—is located in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the Leye County, and is one of 30 known giant sinkholes in the county. This is a karst landscape, where the dissolving of the bedrock has created sinkholes, sinking streams, caves, and springs. Karst forms when rainwater picks up carbon dioxide as it falls through the atmosphere, creating H2CO3, carbonic acid. The lightly acidic water seeps through the ground, moving through fractures and openings in the rock. The water dissolves calcite, a mineral in limestone, marble, and dolostone, creating the characteristic sinkholes, caves and streamways. Because of its unique features, the South China Karst is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The biggest sinkhole in China, and the world, is the 2,172-foot-deep Xiaozhai Tiankeng in Chongqing.
Source
|
|
|
|
|
Q: Where do the Romani, a traditionally itinerant people who live mostly in Europe now, originate?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
|
|
|
|
|
AGS is accepting DailyGeo GeoQuestion suggestions.
Write to ags@americangeo.org with any ideas!
Please include GeoQuestions in the subject line, along with your answer and source.
|
|
|
|
DailyGeo is a daily digital communication created by the American Geographical Society (AGS) for the geography community. If you are receiving this email, it is because you are an affiliate of AGS or a participant in one of our programs. Feel free to share and encourage others to become part of the community too!
Copyright © 2023 American Geographical Society, All rights reserved.
We understand this might not be for everyone. Although we would hate to see you go, you can unsubscribe here.
How are we doing? We want to hear your feedback on the DailyGeo – what are we doing right and what should we be doing differently. Talk to us by emailing ags@americangeo.org.
|
|
|
|
|
