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39 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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groundwater
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Ground water is water contained in open spaces or pores of soil and rock
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porosity
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the volume of pore space divided by the volume of a rock or soil sample; rock with many large pores has high porosity
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permeable
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contains many well connected pores or cracks that allow ground water to flow through it
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aquifer
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a layer of permeable rock through which water flows freely; a source of groundwater for drinking
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zone of saturation
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where the pores of an aquifer are full of water
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water table
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the top surface of the zone of saturation
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zone of aeration
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the zone where the pores are partially filled with water and partly filled with air
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What are the layers of an aquifer from top to bottom?
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zone of aeration
water table zone of saturation |
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springs
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underground water that is held in the soil and pervious rocks; a source of freshwater
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artesian wells
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wells drilled into pressurized aquifers that don't require pumps
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geiser
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a hot fountain that erupts periodically shooting water and steam into the air;
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pollution
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contamination of soil water air or other parts of the environment by something harmful
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sanitary landfill
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a landfill where there is a lining of plastic or concrete or landfill is located on clay-rich soil that traps liquid waste
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storage tanks
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a tank used to store hazardous waste or pollution that would be harmful if it came into contact with soil
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septic tank
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holids human waste solids removed water
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holding ponds
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shallow depressions in the ground used for holding industrial chemicals
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bioremediation
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process that uses living organisms to remove pollutants
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subsidence
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when water no longer fills the pores in an aquifer the land above the aquifer sinks
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cave
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an underground chamber that opens to the surface
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cave system
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multiple caves connected by passages
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dripstone
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when water drips and then evaporates it leaves deposits of calcium carbonate called dripstone
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stalagtites
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calcium deposits hanging from the ceiling of caves
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stalagmites
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calcium deposits coming up or built up from the grournd of a cave; created by the dripping of stalagmites
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sink hole
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when land collapses into the cave because so much rock has dissolved and no longer supports the roof of the cave
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karst
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an area where there are many sinkholes
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Why is groundwater important?
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Because it's a major source of drinking water; there is 30 times more groundwater than surface freshwater on earth
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How does ground water move?
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Speed depends on the permeability and porosity of the rock and how much pressure, the water is under. It moves very slowly, on average 2 cm per day
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What makes a good aquifer?
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a good aquifer is porous or has fractured rock like gravel or limestone
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compare springs, artesian wells, man wmade wells and geysers
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they are all sources of groundwater
artesian wells -- water flows as a result of pressure that forces groundwater to the surface |
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what is relationship between porosity and permeability
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when rock has high porosity water passes through it easily. permeability is the rate at which water flows thorugh a surface
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what is point source pollution?
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where you can point to the source of pollution; for instance when waste is poured directly into water from a pipe or channel
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what is non point source pollution?
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pollutants that come from roads, agriculture or industrial sites and runoff, seeping down into the aquifer or groundwater supply
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why is cleaning groundwater difficult?
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Because the pollutants in groundwater cling to the the pores of the rock
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what are some ways to clean groundwater?
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remove pollution source
pump water out, filter pollutants and return the water using steam and pressure to remove pollutants bioremediation |
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what problems are caused when groundwater is depleted?
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the water table drops
wells go dry water shortages and subsidence |
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saltwater infiltration
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when an aquifer near a coastline is overrpumped allowing the seawater to seep into it and contaminate it.
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how are caves formed?
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caves are formed by acidic water running through pores and rock is dissolved and minerals are carried away
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what are common cave features
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stalagtites
stalagmites columns soda straw formations |
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what a soda straw formations?
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a tube-like formation that is the beginning of stalagtite or stalagmite
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