Flashcards in Chapter 17 Deck (32):
1
zone of soil moisture
zone where water is held by molecular attraction on soil particles in the near surface zone
-used by plants
-evaporates directly back to atmosphere
2
zone of saturation
zone where all of the pore spaces are completely filled with water
3
groundwater
water in the zone of saturation
4
water table
upper limit of the zone of saturation
5
unsaturated zone
area above the zone of saturation
-pore spaces with air and water; include the zone of soil moisture; includes capillary fringe (where groundwater is held in pore spaces by surface tension)
6
gaining streams
gain water from the inflow of groundwater through the streambed
7
losing streams
lose water to the groundwater system by outflow through the streambed
8
porosity
percentage of pore spaces in rock or sediment
poorly sorted sediments have low porostiy
9
Permeability
is the ability of a material to transmit a fluid
10
Aquitard
impermeable layer that hinders or prevents water movement
11
aquifer
permeable rock strata or sediment that transmits groundwater freely
12
recharge
groundwater is replenished
13
discharge
groundwater flows back to the surface
14
Darcy's law
measure of the volume of water that flows through an aquifer using the hydraulic gradient, conductivity, and cross-sectional area
15
Hydraulic gradient
the water table slope
16
hydraulic conductivity
takes into account the permeability of the aquifer and viscosity of the liquid to determine how fast water will flow through a medium
17
well
hole bored into the zone of saturation
18
drawdown
as water is withdrawn from the well, the surrounding water table is lowered
19
cone of depression
cone-shaped depression in the water table forms around a well
20
artesain
well or spring is a system where groundwater under pressure rises above the level of the aquifer
21
confined aquifer
an aquifer confined by aquitards
22
nonflowing artesian well
pressure surface is below ground level
23
Flowing artesian well
pressure surface is above the ground
24
springs
a natural outflow of water from the intersection of the water table and the ground surface
25
hot spring
6 to 9 degree celcious warmer than the mean annual air temperature of the locality
26
geysers
are intermittent hot springs in which columns of water erupt with force
27
caverns
created by acidic groundwater dissolving soluble rock
28
speleothem
general name for all dripstone features
29
stalactites
hanging from ceiling
30
stalagmites
form on the floor
31
Karst topography
landscape that has been shaped mainly by the dissolving power of groundwater
32