Physical Geography Quiz 3

Bauxite ore is the world's primary source of aluminium. The ore must first be chemically processed to produce alumina (aluminium oxide). Alumina is then smelted using an electrolysis process to produce pure aluminium metal.

Magma contains dissolved gases and lava does not. Gas gives magmas their explosive character because the volume of gas expands as pressure is reduced. The composition of the gases in magma are: mostly H₂O (water vapor) and some CO₂ minor amounts of sulphur, chlorine, and fluorine gases.

Mohorovicic Discontinuity is the boundary that separates the Earth's crust from the subjacent mantle at depths of 30–50 km below the continents and 5–10 km below sea level in the oceans.

Four major types of air masses that influence the weather in North America are: Maritime Tropical (mT), Maritime Polar (mP), Continental Tropical (cT) and Continental Polar (cP). The climate of North America is influenced during winter by the Continental Polar air mass. The most common example of continental polar air entering the U.S. comes in winter, when the jet stream dips southward, carrying cold, dry cP air, sometimes as far south as Florida. When it moves across the Great Lakes region, cP air can trigger lake effect snow.

Anthracite is the highest rank of coal. It contains a high percentage of fixed carbon and a low percentage of volatile matter. It is the most metamorphosed type of coal (but still represents low-grade metamorphism), in which the carbon content is between 86% and 98%.

Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at the Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Loess is a sedimentary deposit composed largely of silt-size grains that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate.

Pluto was the planet furthest away from the Sun is coldest. However, due to the IAU's decision in 2006 to reclassify Pluto as a “dwarf planet”.

Pure magnetite contains 72.4 percent iron, hematite 69.9 percent, limonite 59.8 percent, and siderite 48.2 percent, but, since these minerals never occur alone, the metal content of real ores is lower.

Soil erosion is the natural process in which the topsoil of a field is carried away by physical sources such as wind and water. In terrace farming, a terrace is a piece of the sloped plane that is cut into a series of successively receding platforms, that resemble steps. This prevents rain from washing away soil, hence preventing soil erosion.

Duncan Passage is a strait in the Indian Ocean. It is located in between South Andaman and Little Andaman. It is about 48 km wide; it separates Rutland Island to the north, and Little Andaman to the south. West of Duncan Passage is the Bay of Bengal; east is the Andaman Sea.