Geo Last Modules

Groundwater accounts for approximately _____% of the world's freshwater, which is about _____% of the world's total water

30%; 1%

Lakes hold about _____ times more of the world's freshwater than rivers

40

Fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal) represent what proportion of US energy sources?

84%

How much of US greenhouse gas emissions are generated by energy use?

87%

Approximately what proportion of US energy is generated from fossil fuels?

90%

Since 2007, US CO2 emissions have __________

Begun to decline

Unconformity definition

Break in the geological time scale in a rock profile; erosion

Which two forms of renewable energy generated the most energy in US?

Burning wood (and other biomass) Hydropower

Which nation is the source for more imported US oil than any other country?

Canada

What is the source for fossil fuels?

Chemical decay of organic material

Coal-Bed Methane

Clean-burning fuel, formed by methane gas sticking to pores and fractures of coal. Extracted by holes drilled into coal and gas is allowed to rise to the surface

Does the US have greater future reserves of coal or oil?

Coal

Just over half of North Carolina's electricity comes from which source?

Coal power plants

The area drained by a stream is known as a ________

Drainage basin

Five ways communities use water

Drinking Utilities Cleaning Watering Pools/Water parks Live Stock Public Use Irrigation Thermoelectrical Power Mining Industrial Use

Skylight

Feature formed when part of the cave roof collapses, letting light into a cave

Most of earth's freshwater is found in ________.

Glaciers

Stalactites

Hanging rock feature of caves formed when calcium-rich water drips from a cave roof

Sublimation

Ice is converted directly to water vapor

Where is groundwater found?

In fractures in any type of rock In tiny spaces between grains in sediments and sedimentary rocks In cave systems in some types of rock, such as limestone

How has US air quality changed since 1970?

It has improved

Sinkhole

Large hole on the surface formed from the collapse of a cave roof after the water table is lowered

Travertine

Limestone material dissolved into and precipitated from groundwater

Solution Valleys

Limestone region with linear valleys along fault or fracture zones

What type of sedimentary rock is strongly associated with springs, aquifers and cave systems? Why?

Limestone; they react with acidic water to produce carbon dioxide

Evaporation

Liquid water converted to water vapor

How long does it take to form a deposit of oil that could be drilled commercially by an oil company?

Millions of years

Stalagmites

Mound rock feature of caves formed when calcium-rich water drips from a cave roof to the floor

Which is the most mature form of hydrocarbon?

Natural gas

Does North Carolina have oil producing wells?

No

About two-third's of the oil used in the USA comes from where?

North America

Which non-fossil fuel generates more energy use in the US?

Nuclear power

About 97% of the world's water is found in the ________.

Oceans

Tar Sand

Oil intermixed with sand, clay and other sediments; formed by oil degrading by bacteria. Mined in open pits

Oil Shale

Oil trapped in shale (clay rich rocks); form from algal matter in lakes, lagoons, and estuaries. Mined in open pits/underground

Where would you find a point bar in association with a meander bend?

On the inside of the meander

How would the permeability of materials change as sand undergoes lithification to form sandstone?

Permeability would decrease

The amount of water a rock can hold is known as ________ whereas the flow of water through a rock is referred to as ________.

Porosity; permeability

Precipitation

Rain, snow, sleet, or hail

Which regions are likely to have BOTH oil and coal resources?

Rocky mountains Appalachians

What type of materials are part of the bed load in a stream during transport?

Sand and gravel

What name is given to the sediment carried by a river?

Sediment load

What rock type is coal typically formed in?

Sedimentary rocks

What type of materials are suspended in the stream during transport?

Silt and clay

Low Gradient Rivers

Small grain sizes When cut off from the channel, oxbow lakes can form Transport sediment Create meanders Mississippi Rivers Deposit piles of sediment on their inside bends called point bars

What are the two most important factors in generating oil and gas from organic remains?

Temperature and time

Karst Topography

Terrain characterized by sinkholes, caves, limestone pillars, poorly organized drainage patterns, and disappearing streams

Which is the best description of the shape of the water table?

The shape of the water table is similar to the topography of the land surface

Where is the water table?

Top of saturated zone, bottom of unsaturated zone

Braided Rivers

Transport sediment Higher sediment loads of all size sediments Drain high mountain ranges Usually form on steep gradients

Two ways in which water changes rocks and/or landscapes

Water erosion (physical) Chemical weathering

Infiltration

Water falling as rain filters through soil into groundwater

Transpiration

Water loss from vegetation

Condensation

Water vapor converted to liquid water droplets

There is more freshwater in ________ than in ________

groundwater; rivers