Chapter 11 - Soil and Water Resources

Question 1

soil

Answer 1

the layer of sediment closest to Earth’s surface into which plant roots extend and that has been modified by organisms and water

Question 2

pedogenesis

Answer 2

the process of soil formation, which occurs through the weathering of rocks, the activities of organisms, the movement of rainwater, and time

Question 3

weathering

Answer 3

the process by which solid rock is dissolved and broken apart into smaller fragments

Question 4

bedrock

Answer 4

rock that is structurally part of and connected to Earth’s crust

Question 5

regolith

Answer 5

loose Earth material the covers bedrock, including soil

Question 6

soil horizons

Answer 6

horizontal zones within the soil that are identified by their different physical and chemical properties

Question 7

leeching

Answer 7

process in which rainwater dissolves and carries nutrients downward

Question 8

eluviation

Answer 8

the process in which rainwater carries soil particles downward

Question 9

illuviation

Answer 9

the process in which rainwater deposits soil particles downward

Question 10

loam

Answer 10

soil texture comprised of 40% sand, 40% silt, and 20% clay that contains a large amount of organic material, making it valuable to farmers as it retains and transmits moisture and nutrients that are easily accessible to plants, making it the ideal soil texture for growing most crops

Question 11

humus

Answer 11

the brownish-black mixture of organic material that makes up the bulk of the O and A horizons by volume

Question 12

groundwater

Answer 12

water found beneath Earth’s surface in sediments and rocks

Question 13

soil taxonomy

Answer 13

widely-used soil classification system that arranges soils into 12 soil orders

Question 14

desalination

Answer 14

removal of dissolved minerals and sediments in water

Question 15

drought

Answer 15

prolonged period of water shortage

Question 16

porosity

Answer 16

a measure of the available air space within soil, sediments, and rocks, expressed as a percentage

Question 17

permeability

Answer 17

the ease with which water can flow through soil, sediments, and rocks

Question 18

infiltration

Answer 18

process in which water on ground surface is pulled downward by gravity, like during a rainstorm or snowmelt, and enters the soil

Question 19

percolation

Answer 19

process in which water moves around soil particles through narrow, meandering channels due to water’s cohesive and adhesive properties

Question 20

aquifer

Answer 20

any sediment or rock with pores that contain water

Question 21

aquiclude

Answer 21

any sediment or or rock layer that lacks pres and cannot contain water

Question 22

zone of aeration

Answer 22

layer of the ground that is not permanently saturated

Question 23

zone of saturation

Answer 23

layer of the ground that is usually heavily saturated with water

Question 24

water table

Answer 24

top surface of the aquifer’s zone of saturation

Question 25

groundwater recharge

Answer 25

the entry of water into an aquifer from the ground surface

Question 26

groundwater discharge

Answer 26

the movement of water out of an aquifer and onto the ground surface

Question 27

perched water tables

Answer 27

localized water tables that lie above the regional water table

Question 28

spring

Answer 28

arises where hydraulic pressure pushes groundwater onto the surface

Question 29

potentiometric surface

Answer 29

the elevation to which hydraulic pressure pushes water in pipes or wells

Question 30

wells

Answer 30

holes dug or drilled by people to get water from the ground

Question 31

artesian well

Answer 31

a well that has been drilled through an aquiclude into a confined aquifer below

Question 32

groundwater overdraft

Answer 32

the removal of water from an aquifer faster than the aquifer is recharged at the site of the well

Question 33

cone of depression

Answer 33

a cone-shaped lowering of the water table around the well from which water is being removed

Question 34

saltwater intrusion

Answer 34

a process in which groundwater overdraft removes freshwater causing denser salt water to rise and contaminate the well

Question 35

groundwater mining

Answer 35

the process of extracting groundwater from areas where there is little to no groundwater recharge

Question 36

fossil groundwater

Answer 36

water that entered the aquifer long ago and is longer being replenished

Question 37

contaminant plume

Answer 37

a cloud of pollution that migrates through the aquifer away from its source

Question 38

groundwater remediation

Answer 38

the process of cleaning a contaminated aquifer