Water Is Most Dense and Thus Heavier at 4 Degrees

question 55

Multiple Choice

Water is most dense and thus heavier at 4 degrees Centigrade.At zero degrees Centigrade ice forms and can float on liquid water.Suppose ice were most dense at zero degrees Centigrade.Select the best explanation of what would happen in aquatic systems.

• A)The ice would cover the surface of the aquatic system and would never melt.
• B)The ice would cover the bottom of the aquatic system and would build up in layers over time,especially in colder climates.
• C)The ice would eventually form into large sheets and would travel as a glacier carving out more depressions for lakes to form.
• D)The cold temperatures and the subsequent ice formation would prevent hydrogen bonds from forming between the water molecules,thus causing the existing ice crystals to become disassociated from each other.

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Definitions:

Tectonic Terrane

A fragment of crustal material formed on, or broken off from one tectonic plate and accreted or sutured to crust lying on another plate.

Continental Crust

The thick part of the Earth's crust that forms the continents, characterized by its buoyancy and primarily granitic composition.

Passive Margin

A type of continental margin that is not an active plate boundary, characterized by little volcanic and earthquake activity.

Indonesian Earthquake

A seismic event occurring in Indonesia, a country prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire."