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United States
Park Fire is CA’s 5th-Largest Ever
As of Tuesday at noon, the Park Fire, in California’s Butte and Tehama counties, had consumed over 383,000 acres (154,994 ha) and was only 14% contained, making it the fifth-largest wildfire in California history. The fire started last week Wednesday at Upper Bidwell Park, east of Chico. As of Tuesday, 192 structures had been destroyed and 19 had been damaged. In Butte County, the fire has destroyed over 53,000 acres (21,448 ha), and in Tehama County, nearly 331,000 acres (133,950 ha). The wind, steep terrain, and numerous inaccessible spots aid the wildfire’s upward spread and the igniting of spot fires. According to officials, the fire started when Chico resident Ronnie Dean Stout II, 42, pushed a burning car down a ravine. On Monday, he was arraigned on an arson charge.
This map depicts the area where the fire spread as of last Friday and this week’s Tuesday. Click on the map to learn more.
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Ukraine
War in the Skies
The Ukrainian air force reported it repelled a large-scale series of airstrikes from Russia Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Ukraine says it shot down 89 Iranian-style explosive drones and a missile, with the capital, Kyiv, being the primary target of the attack. Just this week, the Ukrainian military began to take deliveries of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets donated by NATO allies, and the most recent tranche of American military aid includes a large quantity of ammunition and missiles for the fighters. Over the past weeks, Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory have been increasingly focused on military airfields, presumably with the aim of reducing usable take-off and landing strips for the coming F-16s. F-16s promise to enhance Ukraine’s air defense by launching air-to-air missiles to bring down Russian drones and missiles, but Ukraine continues to insist it needs more ground-based air defense systems, like the Patriot, to sufficiently defend its territory.
This map depicts the territory of Ukraine currently under the control of the Russian military as of July 31. Click on the map to learn more.
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Indonesia
World’s Oldest Cave Art Found
In a recent article published in Nature, researchers presented a novel approach to date cave paintings. Using this innovation in dating, the world’s oldest figurative cave art was found. Dated to at least 51,200 years ago, the painting depicts an interaction between three humans and a pig. The art was found in a cave in Sulawesi, an Indonesian island directly north-east of Bali and east of Borneo. Scientists used a familiar technique called uranium-series, or U-series imaging, to create a map of the sample’s geochemical composition and determine a precise age estimate. The innovation lies in a new analytical approach using a laser beam, four times smaller than the width of a human hair, to more precisely sample the layers of calcium carbonate covering the art. The laser is run across the samples in parallel lines, known as rasters. These are consolidated into a single high-resolution data set. Scientists hope this new dating method may fill some of the many gaps in our knowledge of the ancient art history.
This map depicts the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, showing the area where the cave painting was found in gray. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What country is known as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean”?
A: Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, formerly called Ceylon, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, southeast of the Indian subcontinent. Proximity to the Indian subcontinent has facilitated close cultural interaction between Sri Lanka and India from ancient times. At a crossroads of maritime routes traversing the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka has also been exposed to cultural influences from other Asian civilizations. Over time, Sri Lanka has acquired many nicknames that reflect its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. Among them: Pearl of the Indian Ocean, Teardrop of India, Resplendent Isle, and the Land of Serendipity.
Source
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Q: What is the largest island and smallest province of South Korea?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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