Question

Q. Which of the following statements most appropriately denotes the term Continentality?

• A. It is the natural tendency of free-floating smaller slabs of rocks on the mantle to join and form bigger tectonic plates and continents.
• B. It refers to the rate of collisions between the continental plates that changes the landscapes and gives rise to different landforms such as fold mountains and volcanic mountains.
• C. It is a measure of the difference between continental and marine climates characterized by the increased range of temperatures that occurs over land compared with water.
• D. The event when large parts of the Earth's continental landmasses were created by tens of thousands of quick eruptions or bursts of molten magma that were transferred rapidly from the mantle and lowermost crust.

Answer 1

The correct option is C It is a measure of the difference between continental and marine climates characterized by the increased range of temperatures that occurs over land compared with water.

Explanation:

• Continentality, a measure of the difference between continental and marine climates characterized by the increased range of temperatures that occurs over land compared with water. This difference is a consequence of the much lower effective heat capacities of land surfaces as well as of their generally reduced evaporation rates.
• The heating or cooling of a land surface takes place in a thin layer, the depth of which is determined by the ability of the ground to conduct heat. The greatest temperature changes occur for dry, sandy soils because they are poor conductors with very small effective heat capacities and contain no moisture for evaporation. By far the greatest effective heat capacities are those of water surfaces, owing to both the mixing of water near the surface and the penetration of solar radiation that distributes heating to depths of several meters. In addition, about 90 percent of the radiation budget of the ocean is used for evaporation. Ocean temperatures are thus slow to change. Hence option (c) is correct.