GW - Groundwater & Karst Topography Flashcards
Define:
Hydrologic Cycle?
Simply the Water cycle
(Evaporation -> Condensation -> causes weathering then it repeates the cycle)
Define:
Porosity?
The percentage of rock material with void spaces
Define:
Permeability?
The ability to transport groundwater
Define:
Aquifer?
A slab of rock that is both porous and permabel which allows groundwater to be stored
Define:
Aquicludes?
What do they act as?
Do not store or transport water - not porous and permeable
Floors and Ceilings of Aquifers
Define:
Zone of Aeration?
Mixture of soil and water and air
Top layer of a groundwater zone
Highly variable due to atmospheric conditions
Define:
Zone of Saturation?
Level right below zone of aeration
layer where all of the pore spaces are completely filled up with water
Define:
Water Table?
Top of the water surface in the zone of saturation (Measured from depth of the surface)
Define:
Waterless Zone?
Layer of impermeable or nonporous rock that water cannot get through
Define:
Confined Aquifer?
How do we get this water?
Sandwich between to aquicludes
The water has no where to go except up… cannot fill up as easily from zone of aeration
water in confined aquifer is under pressure
Using an Artesian Well
Define:
Cone of Depression?
When a well removes water faster than it can be replaced naturally
Define:
Fossil Water?
Usually entered the aquifer thousands of years ago
Exlpain:
Groundwater Mining?
Pumping out groundwater faster than it can be recharged naturally
Explain:
Groundwater Pollution?
Once you pollute groundwater, its effectively permanent becuase it is hard to uninfect water under 800 ft
Define:
Dissolution?
The removal of bedrock through chemical weathering and the movement of water
