Chapter 6: Running Water and Groundwater Flashcards
Water Cycle?
the constant movement of water among the oceans, the atmosphere, geosphere, and the biosphere
Infiltration ?
the movement of surface water into rock or soil through cracks and pore spaces
Gradient?
the slope of a stream over a certain distance
Stream channel?
the course that the water in a stream follows
Discharge?
the quantity of water in a stream that passes a given point in a period of time
Tributary?
a stream that empties itself into another stream
Meander?
a looplike bend in the course of a stream
Bed load?
sediment that is carried by a stream along the bottom of its channel
Capacity?
the total amount of sediment a stream is able to transport
Delta?
an accumulation of sediment formed where a stream enters a lake or an ocean
Natural Levee?
an elevated landform that parallels a stream and acts to confine its waters, except during floodstage
Flood plain?
the flat, low-lying portion of a stream valley subject to periodic flooding
Flood?
occurs when the discharge of a stream becomes so great that it exceeds the carrying capacity of its channel and overflows its banks
Drainage basin?
the land area that contributes water to a stream
Divide?
an imaginary line that separates the drainage of two streams; often found along a ridge
Zone of saturation?
zone where all open spaces in sediment and rock are completely filled with water
Groundwater?
water underground in the zone of saturation
Water table?
the upper level of the saturated zone of groundwater
Porosity?
the volume of open spaces in rock or soil
Permeability?
a measure of a material’s ability to transmit fluids
Aquifer?
rock or soil through which groundwater moves easily
Spring?
a flow of groundwater that emerges naturally at the ground surface
Geyser?
a hot spring or fountain that ejects water at various intervals
Well?
an opening bored into the zone of saturation
Artesian well?
a well in which the water naturally rises above the level of the water table
Cavern?
a naturally formed underground chamber or series of chambers most commonly produced by solution activity in limestone
Travertine?
a form of limestone that is deposited by hot springs or as a cave deposit
Karst topography?
an area that has a land surface or topography with numerous depressions called sinkholes
Sinkhole?
a depression produced in a region where soluble rock has been removed by groundwater
What is the water cycle?
Water constantly moves among the oceans, the atmosphere, the solid Earth, and the biosphere. This unending circulation of Earth’s water supply is the water cycle
What is balance in the water cycle?
Balance in the water cycle means the average annual precipitation over Earth equals the amount of water that evaporates.
The ability of a stream to erode and transport materials largely depend on its?
Velocity
What happens to discharge while gradient decreases between a stream’s headwaters and mouth?
It increases
What is a base level?
The lowest point to which a stream can erode it channel
