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Philippines
South China Sea Ship Collision
Chinese and Filipino vessels collided in the South China Sea near Sabina Shoal early this morning, resulting in damage to two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels. This is the latest flare-up after the two nations had recently agreed to try to ease tensions and manage disagreements at sea peaceably in July. China’s Coast Guard (CCG) claimed a PCG vessel “deliberately collided” with its vessel following an “illegal” intrusion into the waters adjacent to the Sabina Shoal. Filipino authorities said two of its vessels “encountered unlawful and aggressive maneuvers” from CCG vessels while on their way to supply Filipino personnel stationed in two occupied islands. Sabina Shoal is in the Spratly Islands, which are claimed by China, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Nearly 90 percent of the Philippines’ internationally-recognized exclusive economic zone falls within the “nine-dash line” marking China’s claimed maritime territory, which an arbitral tribunal in The Hague ruled in 2016 has no legal basis.
This map depicts Sabina Shoal, where Chinese and Philippine ships collided on Monday, as well as South China Sea territorial claims. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Al Jazeera
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Russia
Earthquake Spurs Volcano
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 triggered the Shiveluch volcano in Russia’s Far East, causing ash cloud warnings to be sent out to aircraft. After the earthquake occurred at a depth of 18 miles (29 km) off the east coast of the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia, Shiveluch began to erupt. The closest city, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of more than 150,000, reported severe shaking and moderate to heavy damage following the earthquake. Ash was blown three miles (5 km) into the air by explosions from the Shiveluch volcano, and the plume stretched southeastward for approximately 930 miles (1,500 km). A “red” code warning—the highest alert level—has been issued to airplanes due to a substantial amount of ash in the atmosphere.
This map depicts the ash plume from the Shiveluch volcano in the red, orange, and yellow regions on the map. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Sky News
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Spain
Sunken Isles Drive Atlantis Talk
Geologists have discovered a series of sunken islands near Spain’s Canary Islands that some people believe could be the origin of the myths of the lost continent of Atlantis. The former islands are part of a seamount – an underwater volcanic mountain – which is around 31 miles (50 km) in diameter and with a base 1.4 miles (2.3 km) beneath the surface of the ocean between the Canary Islands and the West African Coast. The geologist team has named the mountain Los Atlantes. The legend of Atlantis was related by the philosopher Plato in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias, about an advanced seafaring civilization that is ultimately doomed by the gods for its arrogance and sinks to the bottom of the sea. The geologist team has established that the islands on the seamount are between 56 to 34 million years old, but they haven’t yet identified the time that the islands might have sunk beneath the ocean, though it’s highly unlikely that modern humans were around at the time.
This map depicts the location of Lanzarote, in Spain’s Canary Islands, near where geologists discoverd a series of sunken islands that bear parallels to the myth of the ancient “lost continent” of Atlantis. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What country’s coast is home to the Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
A: Georgia
Known as a ‘slice of the Amazon in Eurasia’, the Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands are a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion located along the southern shore of the Black Sea. Colchic rainforests are found around the south-eastern shores of the Black Sea in Georgia and Turkey with similar rainforests extending further west as far as Bulgaria. Many areas of the Colchic rainforests and wetlands have been lost to other land uses or seriously degraded in recent years. The UNESCO world heritage site in Georgia covers most of the remaining wetlands as well as the best preserved and most representative rainforests. The ecoregion sheltered heat-loving plants during the previous glacial period and is abundant in relict (a population that was more widespread or diverse in the past) and endemic species.
Source
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Q: What major river in the Americas is known as the “Father of Waters”?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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