earth science

Sierra Negra

Sierra Negra is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sierra Negra rather than just read about it. In short: Sierra Negra (also, and perhaps more properly, Cerro La Negra) is an extinct volcano located in the Mexican state of Puebla, close to the border with Veracruz. At officially 4,580 metres (15,030 ft) above sea level, it is the fifth-highest peak in Mexico.

Key takeaways

Sierra Negra belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Sierra Negra to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sierra Negra from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Sierra Negra (also, and perhaps more properly, Cerro La Negra) is an extinct volcano located in the Mexican state of Puebla, close to the border with Veracruz. At officially 4,580 metres (15,030 ft) above sea level, it is the fifth-highest peak in Mexico. Sierra Negra is overshadowed by nearby Pico de Orizaba (5,610 m/18,406 ft).

Overview Sierra Negra is located within the Pico de Orizaba National Park. The mountain is the site for two of the world's premier astronomical instruments, the Large Millimeter Telescope and the High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory. Therefore, the access to the mountain is restricted and has to be applied for at least a week in advance. The service road for this facility is claimed to be the highest road in North America. A part of the telescope facility is visible as a white dot in the first picture below and more clearly in the second picture. The Spanish word sierra is usually applied to mountain ranges or ridges. However, a few mountains were given the name sierra after the Conquest, like Sierra de Tlaxcala or Sierra de Tolocan (now outdated names for Malinche and Nevado de Toluca, respectively). As listed by the Mexican geographical institute INEGI, the official name for the Sierra Negra ("Black Mountains") is Cerro La Negra ("Black Lady Hill"), although the latter is largely unused in common speech. The Nahuatl names Tliltépetl ("Black Mountain") or Atlitzin ("Our Lord (or Lady) of the Waters") are sometimes attached. Speakers of Orizaba Nahuatl call the mountain Iztactepetl Icni ("Sibling of the White Mountain"; the "White Mountain" being the Pico de Orizaba). The mountain range to the east of the city of Tehuacán (south of but still in sight of the Pico de Orizaba), with such principal towns as Zoquitlán and Coyomeapan, is also known as the "Sierra Negra", which (unsurprisingly) can cause confusion.

See also List of mountain peaks of Mexico List of the highest major summits of North America Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics List of national parks of Mexico

References

External links "Sierra Negra". SummitPost.org. Retrieved 2016-10-16. The Large Millimeter Telescope Peakbagger.com: Sierra Negra "Pico de Orizaba". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. (includes Sierra Negra) Yarza de la Torre, Esperanza (1971). Volcanes de México. Aguilar. p. 237 pp. (in Spanish)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sierra Negra

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sierra Negra claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sierra Negra before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sierra Negra ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sierra Negra

In research: Sierra Negra appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Sierra Negra in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Sierra Negra is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Four-thousanders of North America, Geography of Puebla, Landforms of Puebla, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sierra Negra outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Sierra Negra in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sierra Negra means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Sierra Negra out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sierra Negra in simple terms?

Why does Sierra Negra matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sierra Negra?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sierra Negra.