Earth Science 7-El Paso, Texas, USA
El Paso, Texas, USA
Contents
Latitude, Longitude
31° 48' N, 106° 24' W [1]
Elevation
4,055 feet
Large Body of Water
the Rio Grande
Average Monthly Rainfall (in millimeters)
January: 13. February: 10. March: 8. April: 8. May: 10. June: 18. July: 33. August: 30. September: 28. October: 23. November: 8. December: 13.[2]
Average Monthly Temperature (in degrees Celsius)
January: high 14, low 7. February: high 17, low 3. March: high 20, low 6. April: high 25, low 10. May: high 30, low 15. June: high 35, low 20. July: high 35, low 22. August: high 34, low 21. September: high 31, low 18. October: high 26, low 12. November: high 19, low 4. December: high 15, low 1. [3]
Climate Zone (using Koppen Classification system)
BSk - mid-latitude steppe [4]
El Paso's latitude, elevation, topography and vegetation all affect its climate. It is in the mid-latitudes, so the temperature is comparatively mild, and it gets little precipitation. Its high elevation also contributes to the small amount of precipitation. The rocky and mountainous topography can interfere with air masses, and the lack of vegetation causes the surface to heat very quickly. Also, there is little water vapor in the air due to lack of vegetation. El Paso is very close to 30 degrees latitude, which is a high pressure area, so El Paso usually also has high pressure. The prevailing winds are from the north in the winter and from the south in the summer. [5] [6]
Plate Tectonics
El Paso, Texas, lies on the North American Plate. It is not near the plate boundary. However, the nearest boundary is a transform boundary. El Paso lies 994 miles from the plate boundary. [7] [8]
Geology
El Paso lays on sedimentary rock. Irregularly bedded gray sand and sandstone; mottled red and gray, green, and chocolate-colored clay; some quartzite, and some gravel; the Paynes Hammock sand, sandy limestone cross-bedded fine green sand, and thin-bedded sand and clay, referred to as catahoula formation, are the type of rock that the city itself is on, but it is surrounded by sand, silt, clay, and gravel, referred to as quaternary undivided. [9] [10]
- ↑ [http://www.bcca.org/misc/qiblih/latlong_us.html
- ↑ [http://www.climatetemp.info/usa/el-paso-texas.html
- ↑ [http://www.climatetemp.info/usa/el-paso-texas.html
- ↑ [http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/global/climate_max.htm
- ↑ [Nancy E. Spaulding and Samuel N. Namowitz. Earth Science. Evanston, Illinois: McDougal Littell, 2005. Textbook.
- ↑ [http://elpaso.tamu.edu/research/epregion.php
- ↑ [http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Imgs/Gif/PlateTectonics/Maps/map_plate_tectonics_world.gif&imgrefurl=http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/PlateTectonics/Maps/map_plate_tectonics_world.html&usg=__fTprE87sW3ewGkyyqGcgMkq5C6c=&h=540&w=859&sz=26&hl=en&start=2&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=7qd41z3eOeeTSM:&tbnh=91&tbnw=145&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dplate%2Bmap%2B(.edu)%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=0SJjTaH0IsH68AaX1JjaCw
- ↑ [http://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-distance-calculator.htm
- ↑ [http://tin.er.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=MSMIc;0
- ↑ [http://tin.er.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=TXQu%3B0
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