Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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A drying climate in East Africa caused Lake Turkana’s water levels to drop, triggering earthquakes and volcanic activity beneath it. Lake Turkana, formerly Lake Rudolf, is a vast, shallow lake in northern Kenya, extending slightly into Ethiopia. It lies along the Eastern Rift Valley, separated from Lake Logipi by volcanic formations called the Barriers.

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A recent study mapped Bolivia’s Uturuncu Volcano and found its unusual ground movement is caused by hot fluids and gases, not rising magma indicating an eruption. Uturuncu is a dormant stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains of southwestern Bolivia. It is 6,008 metres above sea level and is the tallest peak in southern Bolivia. It last erupted 2,50,000 years ago but remains seismically active with hundreds of small quakes each year. It sits above the Altiplano-Puna Magma Body, a 200-kilometre-wide active magma reservoir. Its “zombie” behaviour is due to underground liquid and gas movement with low eruption risk.

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Recently, the trekking route to Kafni Glacier in Uttarakhand was highlighted as unsafe and abandoned since the 2013 flash floods. Kafni Glacier lies in the Kumaon Himalayas, Uttarakhand, and feeds the Kafni River, which later joins the Pindar River. It is known as a hidden Himalayan gem with quiet trails, alpine meadows, and scenic high-altitude views. The trek traditionally began from Khati village and passed through Dwali to reach the glacier’s Zero-Point. The 2013 floods destroyed bridges and trails, and the damaged infrastructure still makes the route inaccessible even after more than 10 years.

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Udupi Police recently filed a case against eight people for entering the restricted Dariya Bahadur Island, highlighting its protected status. The island, also called Bhadragada Island or Lighthouse Island, lies near Malpe Beach in Udupi district, Karnataka. It is a small rocky island with a breadth of about 1.6 sq km and an area of less than 250 yards. It is known for its scenic buildings and the historic Daira Bahadurgarh Fort built by Basavappa Naik of Bidanur.

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Nearly 70% of corals at UNESCO-listed Ningaloo Reef have died due to Australia’s most intense and prolonged marine heatwave. Ningaloo Reef is Australia’s largest fringing coral reef and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for rich marine life and whale-shark aggregations. It is one of the world’s longest near-shore reef systems, located on the north-west coast of Western Australia, around 1,200 km north of Perth in the East Indian Ocean. The reef formed over millennia through coral limestone growth on a shallow shelf, supported by tectonic uplift of Cape Range and stable sea levels.

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Researchers found a nearly intact ancient pottery vessel near Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, dating back over 10,000 years. It is Japan’s largest freshwater lake on Honshu, about 64 kilometres long and 672 square kilometres in area. The lake looks like a biwa musical instrument and is over four million years old. It is fed by mountain rivers and drains into Osaka Bay through the Yodo River. It supports fish, pearl culture, water supply, textile industries, and was listed under the Ramsar Convention in 1993.

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Scottish historian William Dalrymple urged the Maharashtra government to promote lesser-known heritage sites at Ellora Caves. Ellora is located near a village in Maharashtra. Ellora is among India’s first UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The caves show 700 years of Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Sufi, and Naga traditions.

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ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute launched a stock enhancement programme for short-neck clam (Paphia malabarica) in Ashtamudi Lake showing early signs of recovery. Short-neck clam is a valuable bivalve mollusk and India’s first Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified species. It is the major fishery resource of brackish water Ashtamudi Lake.

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Fresh lava fountains erupted from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, almost a year after its ongoing eruptive phase began. Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, located in the southeastern part of Hawaii Island, United States. It is a shield-type volcano, formed due to the Hawaiian hot spot. The summit caldera contains the lava lake Halema‘uma‘u, considered the home of the Hawaiian volcano goddess, Pele.

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Scientists used first images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory to discover the fastest-spinning asteroid of its size, named 2025 MN45. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is located on Cerro Pachón in the Chilean Andes at 8,684 feet altitude. It is named after astronomer Vera C. Rubin, who provided early evidence for dark matter. It is jointly funded by the United States National Science Foundation (NSF) and the United States Department of Energy (DoE). Its goals include studying dark matter and dark energy, mapping the Milky Way, tracking asteroids and comets, and observing changing cosmic objects.