Earth Science Exam 5- Ground Water

Sinkhole

-A cavity in the ground, especially in limestone bedrock, cause by water to disappear underground -Depressions formed as underlying rock is dissolved by seeping water, or by cave roof collapses

Aquitard/Aquiclude

-A geological formation or stratum that significantly retards fluid movement -An impermeable geologic formation of stratum which will not hold or transmit fluid -Shales and many crystalline rocks act as boundaries for aquifers

Natural Levee

-An elevated landform that parallels some streams and acts to confine their waters, except during flood stage -Produced along the edges of stream channels by overbank deposits

Karst Topography

-Consist of numerous depressions 'sinkholes' -Regions characterized by caves, springs, sinkholes, and disappearing streams. -Karst Topography occurs in areas with large amounts of limestone in the subsurface; dissolution occurs as carbonic acid in ground reacts with calcite in limestone

Artesian Well

-Situation in which groundwater under pressure rises above the level of the aquifer -Natural or manmade wells where water gushes to the surface under pressure, confinement of tilted aquifer by impermeable beds

Zone of Aeration

-The zone where all open spaces in sediment and rock are completely filled with water -Contains mostly air in its pore spaces, some water adheres to particles here

Braided Stream

-Type of alluvial channel consisting of a broad network of diverging and converging channels -posses an intricate network for dividing and rejoining channels separated from one another by sand and gravel bars, supplying exceeds transport capacity

Stalagmites

A column like rock formation that grows upward from the flood of a cavern

Flood plain

A flat, low-lying portion of a stream valley. Heavy rains cause the stream to overflow its bank.

Stream Terrace

A flat-benchlike structure produced by a stream, which was left elevated as the steam cut downward

Geyser

A foundation of hot water ejected periodically

Permeability

A measure of a material's ability to transmit water The ability of materials such as rocks to transmit fluid

Fumarole

A vent of volcanic area from which fumes or gases escapes

Delta

An accumulation of sediment formed where a stream enters a lake or ocean -Fan shaped sedimentary structures produced as moving water flows into a standing body of water and drops sediments

Drainage Basin

An area drained by a river or stream and all its tributaries -Dendritic, Parallel, Trellis, Radical

Stalactite

An icicle-like structure that hangs fro the ceiling of a cavern

Depression

Area of land that is sinking

Turbulent Flow

Complex mixing occurs as water molecules move in all directions -**most water flow is turbulent

Cone of Depression

Cone-shaped depression in the water table immediately surrounding a well

Zone of Saturation

Contains mostly water in its pore spaces

Hydrothermal

Denoting the action of heating water in the earths crust

Fluvial Channel Flow

Downhill, flow confined to long trough-like depressions Rill>Brook>Creek>Stream>River

Suspended load

Fine sediment carried within the body of flowing water, clay and silt

Travertine

Form of limestone deposited by mineral springs

Point Bar

Inside of the stream, where sediments are dropped by slower moving waters

Incised Meander

Meandering channel that flows in a steep, narrow valley

Aquifer

Porous and permeable layers of rock that can hold and transmit groundwater

Dissolved load

Portion of the stream that is carried in solution

Oxbow Lake

Produced as meanders are cut-off by the main channel

Bed load

Sediment that is carried by a stream along the bottom of a channel, sand and gravel to boulders

Meandering Stream Braided Stream

Stream and River channels are characterized as ________________ or _____________

Cut Bank

The area on the outside of the meander, stream velocity

Gradient

The downhill flow of a stream; generally measured in the feet per mile (Rise over Run)

Base Level

The level below which a steam cannot erode, the lowest point to which they can erode

Infiltration

The movement of surface water into rock or soil through cracks and pore spaces

Discharge

The quality of water in the stream that passes a given point in ta period of time

Water table

The upper level of the saturated zone of groundwater

Porosity

The volume that represents the amount of water rocks can hold

Capillary fringe

Thin, irregular layer where groundwater moves upward into the zone of aeration due to surface tension

Divide

Topographical highs separating drainage basins

overbank deposites

an alluvial deposit consisting of sediment that has been deposited on the floodplain of a river that has broke overtop that banks; consisting of fine sand, silt and clay

stream load

carry solid matter as a result of erosion

Meandering stream

consist of a single sinuous channel with looping curves, known as meanders

Sheet Flow

downhill movement of slow shallow water moving over the surface. causes erosion as the water moves by the channel flow

Hydraulic action

erosion that occurs when the motion of water against a rock surface produces mechanical weathering

Subsidence

gradual caving in or sinking of an area of land

Laminar flow

lines of flow parallel to one another, no mixing of layers, flow primarily in one direction, rare

Saltwater Incursion

movement of saline water into aquifers which leads to contamination

Impermeable

not allowing liquid through

Stream piracy

phenomenon occurring when a stream drainage system diverted from its own bed and flows rather than going down the bed of a neighborhood stream

recharge

precess by which ground water is absorbed into the zone of saturation

Topography

representation on a map of the natural and the artificial features in an area

Disappearing streams

river that loses water as it flows downstream; infiltrates to the ground recharging local ground water; the water table is below the bottom of the stream channel

Alluvium, Alluvium deposits

sediments deposited by running water

Run-off

water that flows over land rather than infiltrating into the ground Controlled by the infiltration capacity, the ability of the surface to absorb water