Chapter 27.3 and 27.4 Flashcards
the process by which water enters Earth and becomes groundwater below the surface
Infiltration
the upper boundary of the saturated zone is called
Water table
a rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space is called
Aquifer
the percentage of the material’s total volume that is pore space
Porosity
the process of assigning an exact numerical age to an organism, an object, or an event
Absolute dating
the process of placing objects or events in their proper order in time
Relative dating
states that the laws nature operate today as they have in the past
Uniformitarianism
in an undisturbed sequence of a sedimentary rock layers, the youngest rocks will be at the top and the oldest rocks will be at the bottom
Principle of superposition
gaps in the rock record was absent
Unconformities
the remains or traces of organisms found in the geologic rock record are called
Fossils
What percentage of water on earth is salt water
97%
What percentage of water on Earth is freshwater
3%
Where is the majority of freshwater found
in glaciers
Where is the smaller percentage of freshwater found
found in lakes, rivers, and stored as ground water
What is precipitation
when water vapor cools and condenses (rain, snow, sleet, hail)
what is runoff
water running off the land surface
What is infiltration
the process by which water enters Earth and becomes groundwater
What is transpiration
when plants release water vapor into the atmosphere through their leaves
What is evaporation
when water enters the atmosphere as water vapor
What is condensation
when water vapor collide with other water vapor molecules to form water droplets
What is the water cycle
water on the land that enters the atmosphere and then comes back to the land
What is an unsaturated zone for groundwater storage
a porous area where water easily passes through
What is a saturated zone for groundwater storage
where water completely fills the pore space (beneath the unsaturated zone)
What is a water table
the upper boundary of the saturated zone
What does it mean if sediment is permeable
the material is the easier water can infiltrate through the ground
What is an aquifer
a rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space
What is the name of the Great Plains aquifer
Ogallala aquifer
how many states does the Great Plains aquifer run through
8 states
What are the names of the states that the Great Plains aquifer runs through
South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas
What is an aquitard
where water is confined
How are water springs formed
where a water table naturally meets Earths surface
what is an artesian well
wells drilled into pressurized aquifers
what is a cone of depression
the direction that the water flows towards the well
