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
