Geology Exam 2

Rank from smallest volume of freshwater to largest

rivers, swamps, lakes

Liquefation

saturated soil shaken in an earthquake

Ice ages

sea level higher because water was on land as ice masses

What does earths tilt cause

seasonal variation

Local water

shallow flow over short time and distance

steep, exposed slopes

snow and ice slide downhill and are not allowed to pile up

Distribution of karst across the world is equal to the distribution of

soluble rocks

What are signs that caves may exist below the surface?

-sinkholes -disappearing streams -limestone deposits

Slope failures

-undercut cliff -earthquake activity -too steep of slope -landslide -talus

More water

Pressure goes up

Water is attracted to what in the soil?

Quartz

Smaller pore = finer grain

More uplift in capillary rise

acid rain

Humans burning fossil fuels to release SO2 and NO2

soil layers

O, A, E, B, C, R

When groundwater gets contaminated the contamination moves along the direction of the groundwater. The contamination takes on a shape called

Plume

____ is the % of rock or sediment that consists of voids or openings and is a measure of a rocks ability to hold water

Porosity

What are the three properties that control the rate of groundwater flow through rocks

Porosity of the rock materials, steepness of water table, and permeability of the rock materials

Boundary between soil water and groundwater is divided by ____ pressure underground and ____ pressure above ground

Positive; negative

Angle of Repose

The maximum angle of a stable slope of a granular material determined by friction, cohesion, and the shapes of the soil particles. -angle of repose for material -amount of water -discontinuities: fractures, cleavage...

Sinkholes, disappearing streams, and limestone deposits can be indicators of ______ below the surface

caves

What settings is ground water found in?

caves, fractures, pore spaces

Percipitation

clouds cool and water molecules bond together, eventually falling towards earth

Bed temperature

cold based; frozen to bed, internal deformation, erosion is minial warm based;

Terracing

creating flat platforms in the hillside that provide a level planting surface, which reduces soil runoff from the slope.

Several processes are involved in generating rainfall or snow. First water is _______ from oceans and moved into the atmosphere. Next, the moisture condenses into clouds which cool and release rain and snow as _____

evaporated; precipitation

What area in the northern hemisphere was covered by ice 28000 years ago and still is today

greenland

Lakes and rivers are often found topographic lows where ____ is expressed as surface water

groundwater

Subsidence is the lowering of the elevation of the ground surface due to excessive pumping of:

groundwater

When will a cone of depression form?

groundwater is over pumped from an aquifer

common groundwater contaminants

hazardous chemicals and microbes

Water flows from areas of ______ pressure to areas with _____ pressure

high;low

Highest Volume to Lowest: Rank the reservoirs of freshwater by volume

ice caps groundwater lakes rivers

Wet-bottom glaciers

ice slips over meltwater/sediment slurry

When a continental ice sheet recedes sea levels ____

increase

removing vegetation

increases soil erosion -Lose stability roots give

the shape of the watertable

subtle expression of the land surface above it

Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico were formed when limestone from a reef was dissolved by water rich in ______ acid. The acid migrated upward from hydrogen sulfide leaking from deeper accumulations of petroleum.

sulfuric

Lakes contain more freshwater than which of the following?

swamps

swelling clays

swells and compacts with water

contamination typically flows with thee groundwater down the slope of the water _____

table

temperate glaciers

temperature is at the pressure melting point throughout the entire ice body except for upper few meters of ice. Polar and Sub-Polar.

Rapid increases and decreases in global sea level are related to

the extent of continental ice sheets

Which WOULDNT be information collected by a hydrogeologist ?

the final intended use of groundwater

From highest to least rank the top four uses of freshwater in the U.S.

thermoelectric power, irrigation, public and domestic use, and industrial use

grooves and streaks

these are created as sediment trapped in the glacier is being carried by the flow

blue ice

this forms as snow gets buried and compressed

rock powder

this is created as glacial movement grinds up pieces of surrounding rock

Poor sorting has ____ porosity

lower

role of climate in weathering

warmer climates have more weathering

Chemical weathering occurs faster in what areas

warmer, humid areas than cold and dry

Glaciers float when they encounter ___

water

condensation

water molecules join together as they rise into the atmosphere and form clouds

Evaporation

water molecules rise into the atmosphere

Chemical Weathering involves:

water to dissolve rock and carry it away

More tilt of earth

more seasonality with more intense summers and winters

The majority of earths water is found in the

oceans

A spring is a place where water flows naturally from rock

onto land surface

_____ refers to the capacity of a rock to transmit a fluid

permeability

primary porosity

pore space

_____ is the most common type of rock to be dissolved and form caves

limestone

Water table:

Water follows the topography of land but flows down with gravity

Dissolution

can weather calcium carbonate in limestone to form caves along fractures or below water table

crevasses

fractures in a glacier, formed as internal stresses cause its upper surface to break

Part of a stream that receives water from the inflow of groundwater is called _____

gaining stream

Evidence of past glaciations

- glacial landscape features - glacial erratic (a rock that is out of place) -polished surface with glacial striations -isotopes

Characteristics of glaciers and glacial areas

- glaciers flow - glaciers form where snow and ice accumulate faster than they melt - glaciers may fracture forming crevasses

Which process of part of biotic weathering of a rock?

- root secretion -animal burrowing -root wedging

Life and time influences in weathering

-Biological weather of roots and animals -more time = more weathering - rocks with sharp, angular edges are not highly weathered

Features formed by glacier erosion

-cirques -aretes -U-shaped valley -hanging valler -Fjord -Moraines -Outwash Plain -Loess -permafrost

Conditions for glaciers

-cold climate -abundant snow; more snow falling than melting -snow must not be removed by wind or avalanches -must be above snow line

mass wasting

-creep -mudslide -submarine slopes -submarine debris flows -turbidity currents

The flow of material downhill will occur if:

-material is poorly attached to hillside -slope is steep -material is internally weak

Rates of weathering attack vary due to changes in

-mineral stability -degree of compaction or cementation -subtle differences in texture

what land areas were largely covered by a continuous ice sheet 28,000 years ago but are not likely covered by an ice sheet today?

-northern asia, canada, northern europe, northern united states

soil erosion

-overgrazing -erosion -removing vegetation -soil contamination -liquefaction -swelling clays -spoil compaction

How does vegetive cover benefit soil?

-protect from wind and rain -helps capture water -protection from runoff erosion

Soil

-referred to by geologists as regolith -layer of weathered unconsolidated material that contains organic matter that supports growth of plants

prevention of slope failure

-revegetation -engineered structures, retaining walls

Pleistocene Glaciation

20+ glaciations

What is karst topography?

A landscape full of depressions, weathered gray rock, and irregular drainage patterns through soluble rock

Which are human-made or human-induced substances that can contaminate water?

Agricultural wastes, human wastes & insecticides

____ is the name used for any type of rock that retards the flow of water in an aquifer

Aquifer

Why is water attracted to a glass beaker?

Because glass is made of quartz

Groundwater is free water that exists beneath earths surface as a liquid rather than being chemically _____ in minerals

Bonded

Where does movement move fastest

Center and slowest at the edges

Which countries or regions have widespread Karst formations?

Central Asia Southeast Asia Europe

Sinkholes in ____ topography may be large collapsed holes or small and subtle pits in the landscape

Karst

Example of groundwater depletion.

Land subsidence, example: leaning tower of pisa

which of the following are common sources of groundwater combination?

Landfills, service stations, and factories

What geological settings could springs occur?

Limestone aquifers, faults, and unconformities

Quartz

Strong not easy to dissolve

Aquifers

Subterranean, porous, water-holding rocks that provide millions of wells with steady flows of water.

Permability

The ability of rock or sediment to let sediment to let fluids pass through its open spaces or pores. -Includes straight flow paths -How easily material transmit water or fluid -Pore interconnectedness

In the U.S. which of the following is the primary use of freshwater?

Thermoelectric power

Ocean is salty because

Water dissolves rock and carries dissolved cations to ocean water

Calcite

Weak and easy to dissolve

Grounding line of a glacier

Where glacier is on land and transitions into sea water, where sea level changes

The water table has:

a shape similar to that of the land surface lying above it

Talus

accumulation of material at bottom of slope

An _____ is a large body of permeable, saturated material through which groundwater can flow well enough to yield sufficient water to wells and springs

aquifer

The Ogallala aquifer is located

beneath an area extending from South Dakota to the panhandle of Texas

Plants contribute to chemical and physical weathering in a process called _____ weathering when roots pry open joints or release carbon dioxide during respiration

biotic

If groundwater is moved from an aquifer by over pumping a cone of ____ will occur

depression

Secondary Porosity

develops later -fracturing -faulting -dissolution

Groundwaters are stationary with no movement or flow (T/F)

false

Groundwater

flows with local, intermediate, or regional flow

Ground water found in crystalline rock such as granite usually moves through _______ instead of pore spaces

fractures

Most groundwater is found in these three settings: pore spaces, subterranean caves & _______

fractures

Which of the following are common resources of groundwater contamination?

landfills, service stations, and factories

what are caves called that have been formed in regions with volcanic activity

lava tubes

which are natural substances that can contaminate groundwater?

lead and arsenic from mineralized rocks and sulfur

two common ways in which groundwater originates and accumulates

precipitation seeping into surface from where it accumulates & snowmelt seeping into surface where it accumulates

Infiltration

precipitation seeps into ground surface

Groundwater _____ is the term that describes the replenishment of groundwater either naturally or by human processes

recharge