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Extreme Earth

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

Free to use with your own team, courtesy of WorkplaceHero - workplacehero.co.uk

Question sheet

1. Which mountain's summit is farthest from Earth's centre because it stands close to the equatorial bulge?
- A. Denali
- B. Chimborazo
- C. Aconcagua
- D. Everest
2. Which Hawaiian volcano rises more than 10,000 metres from its submarine base to its summit?
- A. Haleakalā
- B. Mauna Kea
- C. Kīlauea
- D. Kohala
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
- C. Turbat, Pakistan
- D. Kebili, Tunisia
4. Which Antarctic station recorded -89.2°C on 21 July 1983?
- A. Amundsen-Scott
- B. McMurdo
- C. Concordia
- D. Vostok
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
- C. Madagascar
- D. Mauritius
6. Which lake is Earth's deepest, rather than its largest by surface area?
- A. Lake Superior
- B. Lake Victoria
- C. Lake Baikal
- D. Lake Tanganyika
7. Badwater Basin, about 282 feet below sea level, lies in which US national park?
- A. Death Valley
- B. White Sands
- C. Joshua Tree
- D. Great Basin
8. The magnitude 9.5 Valdivia earthquake of 22 May 1960 occurred in which country?
- A. Japan
- B. Mexico
- C. Chile
- D. Indonesia
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
10. The Okavango Delta's annual flood characteristically arrives during which local season?
- A. The snowmelt season
- B. The dry season
- C. The wet season
- D. The cyclone 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
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
- D. Twenty-four hours

Answer sheet (for the quizmaster)

1. B - Chimborazo
Ecuador's Chimborazo benefits from Earth's equatorial bulge, placing its summit farther from the centre than Everest's.
2. B - Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea's height from the ocean floor exceeds its much smaller elevation above sea level.
3. B - Furnace Creek, California
The WMO table lists Furnace Creek, formerly Greenland Ranch, for the reading on 10 July 1913.
4. D - Vostok
Vostok recorded this instrument-measured air temperature, distinct from satellite estimates of surface temperature.
5. B - Réunion
Foc-Foc on Réunion received the listed total during 7-8 January 1966.
6. C - Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal in Siberia is the deepest lake and contains an exceptionally large volume of freshwater.
7. A - Death Valley
Badwater Basin is the lowest point in Death Valley National Park and North America.
8. C - Chile
The 1960 Chile earthquake is listed by the USGS at magnitude 9.5.
9. D - Fog
Coastal fog supplies crucial moisture to organisms living among the dunes.
10. B - The dry season
Floodwater travelling from the catchment reaches the delta during Botswana's dry season.
11. D - Typhoon Tip
Typhoon Tip reached the listed minimum central pressure on 12 October 1979.
12. C - Sixty minutes
Holt's listed record is 305 mm in 60 minutes on 22 June 1947.