General knowledge · 12 questions

Extreme Earth

Twelve questions on extreme earth. Look closely: the most familiar answer is not always the right one.

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Question 1 of 12

Which mountain's summit is farthest from Earth's centre because it stands close to the equatorial bulge?

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1. Which mountain's summit is farthest from Earth's centre because it stands close to the equatorial bulge?
- A. Denali
- B. Chimborazo (answer)
- C. Aconcagua
- D. Everest
Ecuador's Chimborazo benefits from Earth's equatorial bulge, placing its summit farther from the centre than Everest's.
2. Which Hawaiian volcano rises more than 10,000 metres from its submarine base to its summit?
- A. Haleakalā
- B. Mauna Kea (answer)
- C. Kīlauea
- D. Kohala
Mauna Kea's height from the ocean floor exceeds its much smaller elevation above sea level.
3. In the WMO record table dated 31 July 2025, which location holds the highest recorded air temperature of 56.7°C?
- A. Mitribah, Kuwait
- B. Furnace Creek, California (answer)
- C. Turbat, Pakistan
- D. Kebili, Tunisia
The WMO table lists Furnace Creek, formerly Greenland Ranch, for the reading on 10 July 1913.
4. Which Antarctic station recorded -89.2°C on 21 July 1983?
- A. Amundsen-Scott
- B. McMurdo
- C. Concordia
- D. Vostok (answer)
Vostok recorded this instrument-measured air temperature, distinct from satellite estimates of surface temperature.
5. Which island holds the WMO-listed 24-hour rainfall record of 1.825 metres, recorded at Foc-Foc in January 1966?
- A. Martinique
- B. Réunion (answer)
- C. Madagascar
- D. Mauritius
Foc-Foc on Réunion received the listed total during 7-8 January 1966.
6. Which lake is Earth's deepest, rather than its largest by surface area?
- A. Lake Superior
- B. Lake Victoria
- C. Lake Baikal (answer)
- D. Lake Tanganyika
Lake Baikal in Siberia is the deepest lake and contains an exceptionally large volume of freshwater.
7. Badwater Basin, about 282 feet below sea level, lies in which US national park?
- A. Death Valley (answer)
- B. White Sands
- C. Joshua Tree
- D. Great Basin
Badwater Basin is the lowest point in Death Valley National Park and North America.
8. The magnitude 9.5 Valdivia earthquake of 22 May 1960 occurred in which country?
- A. Japan
- B. Mexico
- C. Chile (answer)
- D. Indonesia
The 1960 Chile earthquake is listed by the USGS at magnitude 9.5.
9. According to UNESCO, what is the primary source of water in the Namib Sand Sea?
- A. Permanent rivers
- B. Seasonal snowmelt
- C. Summer monsoon rain
- D. Fog (answer)
Coastal fog supplies crucial moisture to organisms living among the dunes.
10. The Okavango Delta's annual flood characteristically arrives during which local season?
- A. The snowmelt season
- B. The dry season (answer)
- C. The wet season
- D. The cyclone season
Floodwater travelling from the catchment reaches the delta during Botswana's dry season.
11. Which tropical cyclone is listed in the WMO's July 2025 table for a minimum central pressure of 870 hPa in 1979?
- A. Cyclone Tracy
- B. Hurricane Gilbert
- C. Hurricane Katrina
- D. Typhoon Tip (answer)
Typhoon Tip reached the listed minimum central pressure on 12 October 1979.
12. In the WMO's July 2025 table, the 305 mm rainfall total at Holt, Missouri, in June 1947 belongs to which duration category?
- A. Twelve hours
- B. One minute
- C. Sixty minutes (answer)
- D. Twenty-four hours
Holt's listed record is 305 mm in 60 minutes on 22 June 1947.

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