5 Feb

United States: Amtrak Crash

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Click the graphic source to view the map and read more about the story.
United States
Amtrak Crash
Early Sunday morning, a Miami-bound Amtrak train crashed into a parked freight train resulting in the death of two passengers and leaving 116 other passengers injured.  The collision occurred in South Carolina and was caused by an incorrectly switched train line that directed the moving train onto an occupied track.  This is the fourth fatal Amtrak accident in two months – just last Wednesday an Amtrak train carrying GOP lawmakers crashed in Virginia with one fatality reported.  Amtrak has blamed CSX, the freight train operator, for the collision.  This map depicts the location of the train crash outside of Columbia, South Carolina.  Click on the map to learn more.   

Further Reading: Reuters, ABC News, USA Today, CNN (2)
Graphic Source:  CNN
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Click the graphic source to view the map and read more about the story.
Syria 
Russian Jet Shot Down
A Russian Su-25 fighter jet was shot down this past Saturday in the Idlib province of northern Syria. The Free Syrian Fighters and the group, Jaish al-Naser were responsible for the attack on the aircraft. The jet is believed to of been shot down in response to an airstrike on the village of Massaranters. The Russian pilot was able to eject himself from the aircraft before it crashed but was quickly killed by Syrian fighters. The Idlib province is a priority target of Russian and Syrian government strikes as it is typically the location where civilians flee government regime fighting.This map depicts the location where the Russian jet crashed in the Syrian Idib province. Click on the map to learn more. 

Graphic Source:  CNN
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Click the graphic source to view the map and read more about the story.
Guatemala
Digital Mapping Reveals Mayan City
Using LiDAR technology, which bounces lasers off trees to measure elevation (much like radar), scientists mapped upwards of 60,000 ancient Mayan structures beneath the jungles of northern Guatemala. The Maya Lowlands may have been home to around 10 million people. The extensive infrastructure found at the PACUNAM research site included raised highways, industrial-sized agricultural fields, irrigation canals, and a 30-meter high pyramid, unveiling a more complex and interconnected civilization than previously thought.This map depicts the region of interest of the PACUNAM Lidar Initiative. Click on the map to expand.

Graphic Source: CBC

Friday’s Answer

 

Q: Which country is home to the world’s largest gold mine?

A: Indonesia
The Grasberg Mine (Freeport-McMoRan Co.) in the province of Papua, Indonesia, is the largest gold mine and the second largest copper mine in the world. The mine is located near Puncak Jaya, the highest mountain in Papua.
Source

Today’s Question

 

Q: Which island has the most venomous snakes per square meter?

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

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