Earth Sciences Review

Hurricanes and similar storm systems begin over oceans. What is the optimal temperature range for hurricanes to form?

• -0.9 c to 12.7 c
• 12.8 c to 26.3 c
• 26.4 c to 30.9 c
• 40.0 c to 48.7 c 

If it is summer in the Northern hemisphere which direction would the earths axis be pointing relative to the sun?

• away
• neither toward or away
• toward

Tornadoes are a common problem in many parts of Texas. Which of these is most likely used to study tornadoes?

• meter stick
• barometer
• telescope
• magnets

La Niña is a weather event that can cause floods and droughts in different parts of the world. La Niña usually begins with a cooling of the —

• soil in North America
• tropical eastern Pacific Ocean
• mountains in South America
• sea ice in Antartica

The term “jet stream” is often used by weather forecasters to describe

• the cloud-like condensation trails that are sometimes seen behind jet aircraft
• warm pacific winds associated with volcanic activity in the western pacific which carry heat to the north pole
• solar winds that bring high energy particles to the upper atmosphere, providing heat which sets off convection cycles disturbing weather in the tropical latitudes
• the west to east winds that circle the globe, often just below the poles in latitude and just beneath the stratosphere in elevation

During an El Niño weather event, trade winds across the Pacific Ocean weaken, and waters along the coast of Peru and Ecuador become unusually warm. The warmer ocean waters result in —

• the formation of numerous thunderstorms along the South American coast
• many days of clear, cold weather along the South American coast
• many days of clear, warm weather along the South American coast
• the formation of numerous hurricanes along the South American coast.

The Earth moves in predictable patterns. One of these patterns causes approximately 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness during a 24-hour period in areas around the equator. This movement is referred to as —

• rotation
• revolution
• equinox 
• eclipse

Which factor best explains the reason that average summer temperatures are higher than winter temperatures in North America?

• The Earth is closer to the sun during the summer months
• Cyclical activity on the Sun causes more radiant energy to be produced.
• North America is tilted toward the Sun during the summer months.
• Ocean water temperatures near the Equator influence North America during the summer.

Alfred Wegener, the geologist who proposed the theory of continental drift, also coined the term for the ancient supercontinent, Pangaea. Later geologists have recovered evidence that the land masses that made up Pangaea, including Africa and South America, were once close to one another. One of their main sources of data is a —

• set of surveys showing the distribution of island arcs.
• large group of plant and animal fossils.
• set of seismology readings from deep sea trenches.
• group of samples of new oceanic crust from ocean basins.

A convergent boundary is formed when two tectonic plates meet and push against each other.  What type of land form would occur at this type of boundary?

• canyon
• coastline
• mountain
• plains