Chapter 10 Flashcards
Infiltration
When water is absorbed into the ground and becomes groundwater
Zone of saturation
The depth at which the pores in soil/materials are filled with water
Water table
The place where the zone of saturation starts
Porosity
A measure of how much pore space is in a material, measured in a percentage
Permeability
The measure of how easy it is for water to go through a material
Aquifer
A permeable layer of sediment or rock underground
Cave
A natural underground opening that has a connection to the surface
Sinkhole
A depression caused by a collapsed cave or direct dissolution of bedrock by acid rain/moisturized soil
Karst topography
Areas that have limestone and have sinkholes, sinks, and sinking streams have this
Stalactites
Icicle like formations of calcium carbonate that form on the roofs of caves that have dripstone
Stalagmite
Forms in caves, above dripstone and made of calcium carbonate
Travertine
Dripstone formations are made of this
Spring
A discharge of water caused by aquifers and aquicludes coming into contact (the water in the aquifer goes up, hits aquiclude) at the earth’s surface
Hot springs
Springs that exude water at temperatures higher than temperatures in the human body
Geysers
Explosive springs that explode at regular intervals
