Mountain Time Vs. Pacific Time

The time of day changes depending on where in the world you are.
••• "Timeless" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: *saxon* (Saxon) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.

Mountain time and Pacific time refer to two time zones located in the United States and Canada. Time zones are ranges of longitudes where a common standard time zone is used to account for the differing amounts of sunlight the regions receive over the course of a day.

Significance

The Mountain time zone is one hour ahead of the Pacific time zone, so when it is 8 a.m. in the Mountain time zone, it is 7 a.m. in the Pacific time zone.

Location

The Mountain time zone starts in the western portion of the Great Plains states and includes all of Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, Arizona and Utah, and parts of Idaho. The Pacific time zone starts at the western boundary of the Mountain time zone and runs to the western coast of the United States and Canada. All of these states, except most of Arizona, observe daylight-saving time from mid-March into early November.

History

Times zones were created in 1884 at the Meridian Conference held in Washington, D.C. Each time zone is about 15 degrees of longitude wide, so there are 24 time zones around the world.

Function

The amount of sunlight varies as the earth rotates, so different parts of the world face the sun, experiencing day, while others face away and experience night. Time zones take the rotation into account, so each region experiences daylight during approximately the same clock time each day.

Fun Fact

Time zones are based off Greenwich Mean Time, which is the time in Greenwich, England, where the Prime Meridian passes through. Mountain Standard Time is seven hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time and Pacific Standard Time is eight hours earlier.

Related Articles

What are Latitude & Longitude?
Sun Intensity vs. Angle
The Climate of the Edwards Plateau
Main Characteristics of the Earth's Climate Zone
Definition of Synoptic Weather Map
How to Find the Moon in the Sky
What Causes the Differences in Pressure That Result...
Factors That Affect the Tundra's Climate
What Are the Types of Rocks Found in the Appalachians?
How Do Landforms and Bodies of Water Affect Climate?
How Latitude & Altitude Affect Temperature
What Are the Winter Monsoons?
Characteristics of Arid Climates
The Average Sunlight of the Grassland Biome
How to Tell Time With Your Shadow
How Does the Movement of the Earth Around the Sun Affect...
What Are the Six Climate Zones?
What are the Six Major Climate Regions?
What Are Diurnal Tides?

Dont Go!

We Have More Great Sciencing Articles!