Regents Earth Science
January 2004 Regents Answer Explanations
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ANS
Explanation
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The force of gravity is strongest during the winter months (January and December) when the earth
is closer to the sun (perihelion).
The milky way (galaxy) contains all of the above named celestial objects therefore it is largest.
EARTH ROTATION = Focault Pendulum / Coriolis Effect ****ALWAYS THE ANSWER****
ESRT p.15 Earth: Density = 5.5
/ Period of Rotation = 24 Hours
Jupiter: Density = 1.3 IS LESS DENSE / Period of Rotation = > 9hrs AND Shorter
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The sun is being blocked by the moon.
As you travel northward from the equator 00 to the North Pole 900 the angle of insolation will
decrease…Low angle=low/cold temperature
Energy is absorbed and reflected best when the surface is dark in color and rough in texture.
Rotation is the cause of night and day. If the earth slowed down the day would last longer.
You need the Dry bulb (regular air temp) and
DIFFERENCE.
When the Dry bulb is 00c and the RH is 81% the
difference is 10c
When the Dry bulb is 00c and the difference is
10c DPT is -30c
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Air temperature is found using a thermometer… an anemometer is used to measure wind speed.
Air pressure is found using a barometer…a psychrometer is used to find humidity.
When the Air Temp and DPT get farther apart HUMIDITY is DECREASING(as seen on a weather
station model). Rising Pressure means bad low pressure is moving out and nice weather is moving
in 
The Feldspar is being combined with water, the result is the separate minerals dissolved in the
water and clay minerals. It shows the breakdown of feldspar -> WEATHERING.
If you interpolate the graph correctly, at 40oN (not south) the
duration of thunderstorms is just under 20 days.
The atmosphere is not transparent if it is filled with ash, sunlight cannot filter through so
temperature drops.
Impermeable means water CANNOT penetrate/soak through it.
Carbon -14 can ALWAYS be found in ANYTHING that was once living. Pollen was once living.
OBSERVATIONS of the motion of seismic waves: S-waves only through solids and P-waves travel
through both helped formulate the INFERENCES of the make up of Earth’s layers
ESRT p. 7
Regents Earth Science
January 2004 Regents Answer Explanations
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Potassium feldspar aka orthoclase hardness= 6,so harder than glass(5.5) but softer than pyrite
(6.5).
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Granite and Basalt are different igneous rocks because
they are composed of different minerals. ALSO SEE
igneous rock chart pg 6
ESRT p 10
The delta forms as sediment settles. The sediment is settling (deposition) faster than it is being
carried away (erosion)
Gas pockets form from tiny explosions as a result of rapid cooling of lava when a volcano erupts.
ESRT 6
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The sediments are smooth and rounded which is a result of erosion by water.
ESRT p 8&9 shows that dinosaurs existed in the Mesozoic Era which includes the Triassic Jurassic
and Cretaceous periods.
ESRT p 3: KEY shows
this pattern is located at 41*10’ N, 74*W.
Law of original horizantality states that all layers are deposited in large flat layers , therefore B is
original (oldest). A is the most recent because the volcano formed from the extrusion (Law of
Cross Cutting-layers must exist before igneous rock or a fault cuts across it) and E has erosion at
the top of the folded layers (Law of Superposition-oldest is on the bottom)
LANDSCAPE FEATURES: what you see when you look at certain landscapes
b-bedrock structures d-Hillslopes e-stream patterns
Uranium-238 has a half life of 4,500,000,000 years
Earth formed 4,600,000,000 years ago (ESRT 8&9). Therefore it has
gone through 1 half life.
ESRT pg 1
Regents Earth Science
January 2004 Regents Answer Explanations
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Cleavage is a minerals ability to break in a pattern (looks like it was chopped/broken with a
cleaver.) Hardness=scratches glass, Streak= mark on tile, Luster=metallic/shiny/pearly
The question states: “The arrow length represents stream velocity,” therefore the long arrow
represents fast moving water, short arrow is slow.
The stream moves fastest on the outside of a curve, increasing erosion.
The stream moves slowest on the inside of the curve, increasing deposition.
(2) has large arrows on the outside of the curves and small arrows on the insides.
ESRT p. 3
Metamorphic rocks
**Foliation is a characteristic of Metamorphic rocks ONLY** (See ESRT p 7)
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ESRT p. 8
The far right column shows the NYS Rock Record. There
is evidence of all 4 periods listed in choice (1)
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As rock layers become folded they will eventually become overturned.
Layers can appear to become repeated if a specific outcrop is isolated and observed.
In the diagram to the left you can see how fossils could appear twice in one outcrop.
Imagine the Clam fossil located in the black layer, therefore it appears twice in the outcrop.
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Percent Deviation is no longer on the E.S. Regents Exam   
ESRT p 16
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As we advance from May 1 (as the diagram is labeled) to 6/21 (which is the first day of summer)
the angle of insolation will continue to increase (it will decrease after 6/21)… as we receive the
best angle on the first day of summer, and of course the weather will warm up 
0o – observers at the equator would have to look north since the sun’s angle of insolation will be
directly over the tropic of cancer 23.5o north on the first day of summer. (you would have to look
north from ANY location lower than 23.5o however 0 o is the only option that is South of it.
Cyclic means that it happens in a cycle and is predictable. You can clearly predict when the next
high tide will be from the graph. ANY graph that looks like
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The first high tide was at approximately 1am. The next was at approximately 1:30 am, increasing
by a half an hour, therefore the next should be at 2am.
The sun will rise directly east, set directly west and be directly overhead at
noon at the equator.
Regents Earth Science
January 2004 Regents Answer Explanations
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stream drainage patter mimics elevation.
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The arrows represent converging convection currents
the plates would only COLLIDE at a convergent
boundary.
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ESRT p10 reminds
you about direction
of convection
currents in the
mantle
ESRT p 6 shows granite is made of potassium feldspar, quartz, plagioclase
feldspar, biotie, and amphibole.
ESRT p 7 shows phyllite also is made of mica, quartz, feldspar,
amphibole, garnet and pyroxene.
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Isotherms connect points of equal measure and all values between lines must
fall between the values indicated on the lines.
P-waves travel in a straight line while s-waves travel in an s shape
And P-waves travel FASTER. P (primary) waves arrive 1st…not second like s-waves.
We calculate the difference and use ESRT p 11 to find the distance.
Bigger particles have a greater mass therefore they require fast moving water to carry them. They
are deposited as soon as they enter the ocean. Smaller particles are carried the farthest since they
can be carried by very slow moving water.
CLASTIC (fragmental) SEDIMENTARY rocks are classified by particle size (the size of the
fragments)
The diagram key shows that the * is shallow –50 km from the surface
which is where A is.
As you travel that line to D the triangle symbol
represents 500 km from the surface.
Regents Earth Science
January 2004 Regents Answer Explanations
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3
ESRT p 10
500 km is the Asthenosphere
Part II
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Sedimentary
There are 3 types of rock: Igneous, Metamorphic, and
Sedimentary…fossils are only found in Sedimentary.
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Any latitude from 10oS to 10oN is an acceptable
answer
ESRT pg 8&9 shows the position of NYS during the
Ordivician Period:
NYS is right at the equator 0o
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Valcouroceras
On pg 9 the Nautaloids are represented on the second
bar under “Time Distribution of Fossils,” this is the only
index fossil in existence during this time. It is
represented by D
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10, 11, or 12 cm
The article states that the actual Isotelus was 70 cm.
Are acceptable ans.
Use your ruler to measure A = 5.7: 70/5.7=12.28
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Wind in a Low pressure system moves
counterclockwise and inward, however it was not
necessary to indicate the inward motion for this
question.
Closely spaced isobars represent a region of high
wind velocity.
Close isobars of any kind indicate a steep slope, a
steep slope will create high wind.
Regents Earth Science
January 2004 Regents Answer Explanations
As isobars become closer, wind speed increases.
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

100% cloud cover (circle is completely filled in)
84o F (value located in the upper left hand corner of the
model)
 Thunderstorms (symbol on the left)
 Wind is 5 knots (half a flag on the wind direction)
 Wind is from the south west
a. Warm humid air is less dense and expands and rises over the more dense cold air in the cold front. As
it reaches a higher altitude, the temperature decreases allowing it to reach its dew point temperature.
b. water vapor condenses when it reaches the dew point temperature.
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Follow the flow chart:

A-Earth's Crustal Plate Boundaries-> one major type is -> Covergent (because the other two,
divergent and transform are already listed).
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B-Divergent Boundary-> where two plates -> Move apart (this is the definition of diverge)

C-Continental & Continental (the others are already listed)
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Use ESRT pg 5 to identify transform
boundaries
E
D
D
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E
Use ESRT pg 5 to find Subduction
61.
61. U-Shaped Valley
62.
62. Acceptable answers include, but not limited to: parallel scratches,
polished surface, angular fragments.
explanation: Glaciers act as bull dozers and carve out a u-shaped valley as it
passes between two mountain peaks. As it moves it drags crushed sediment
that is angular in shape and creates parallel scratches in the surface. Some of
the sediment is crushed into a fine powder which polishes as it scratches.
Regents Earth Science
January 2004 Regents Answer Explanations
63.
Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to, these
examples:
similar latitudes (bc all are located in NY State)
similar duration of insolation(bc of similar latitude)
similar intensity of insolation (bc of similar latitude)
similar monthly changes in altitude of the Sun (bc of similar latitude)
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Acceptable responses include, but are not limited to, these
examples:
humidity
precipitation all factors of climate
moisture
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The elevation of area 3 is higher.
Climate region 3 is located in a mountainous region.
Proximity to water was not included because it is not a landscape characteristic.
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Proximity to water (atlantic ocean) causes a warmer temps (smaller range) in the winter months.
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x
The scale shows that 1cm=100 million km.
ESRT pg 15 shows Mars is 227.9 million km from sun.
1cm
x
=
100millionkm 229.7 millionkm
229.7 100x
=
x = 2.29 round to 2.3 bc cm ruler measures to the tenths place.
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a. You can place mars anywhere that are 2.3 cm away from the sun.
b. e=0.093 therefore you should draw a nearly circular orbit.
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Object A is way too eccentric of an ellipse to be a planet therefore the answer would have to be either a
comet, asteroid, or meteor. (Some other celestial object).
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Determining the exact path of the celestial object is important so that we can be sure that its path does
not interfere with Earth’s path, otherwise we could collide.
Regents Earth Science
January 2004 Regents Answer Explanations
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The contour interval is 10 feet, therefore you answer should be
between 701-709. It cannot be 700 or 710 because ‘c’ is not on a
line.
From ESRT Pg 1
The blurb above the map indicates that the
Merado Dam is 32 miles upstream from Lawson.
The question indicates that the time value is 4 hours.
32miles/4 hrs = 8 miles/hour
**UNITS MUST BE INCLUDED**
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There are many possible answers to protect people in the event of a natural disaster. Two that
almost ALWAYS apply are:

Always have an evacuation plan in place

Always be prepared with a first aid kit