chapter 27.3 and 27.4 Flashcards
the process by which water enters earth and becomes groundwater below the surface
infiltraction
the upper boundary of the saturated zone
water table
a rock unit that can transfer water through its pore space
aquifer
of a material is the percentage of the materials total volume that is the 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
the law of nature
uniformitarianism
an undisturbed sequence of sedimentary rock layers
principle of superposition
gaps in the rock record during which either erosion ocurred or deposition
unconformity
the remains or traces of organisms found in the geologic rock record
fossil
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
glaciers
where is the smaller percentage of freshwater found
lakes rivers and stored in ground water
what is precipitation
when water vapor in the air cools and condenses to form liquid water or ice crystals