Chapter 7 Flashcards
An impermeable bed that hinders or prevents groundwater movement
Aquitard
A well in which the water rises above the level where it was initially encountered
Artesian well
A naturally formed underground chamber or series of chambers most commonly produced by solution activity in limestone
Cavern
A cone shaped depression in the water table immediately surrounding a well
Cone of depression
An equation stating that groundwater discharge depends on the hydraulic gradient, hydraulic conductivity, and cross-sectional area of an aquifer
Darcy’s law
An artisan well in which water flows freely at Earths surface because the pressure surface is above ground level
Flowing artisan well
Streams that gain water from the inflow of groundwater through the stream bed
Gaining (effluent) stream
A fountain of hot water ejected periodically from the ground
Geyser
Water in the zone of saturation
Groundwater
A spring in which the water is 6-9 degrees C warmer than the mean annual air temperature of its locality
Hot spring
The slope of the water table. It is determined by finding the height difference between two points on the water table and dividing by the horizontal distance between the two points
Hydraulic gradient
A type of topography formed on soluble rock (especially limestone) primarily by dissolution. It is characterized by sinkholes, caves, and underground drainage.
Karst topography
The volume of open spaces in rock or soil
Porosity
An artesian well in which water does not rise to the surface because the pressure surface is below ground level
Nonflowing artesian well
Stream that loses water to the groundwater system by outflow through the streambed
Losing (influent) stream
A measure of a materials ability to transmit water
Permeability
A depression produced in a region where soluble rock had been removed by groundwater
Sinkhole
A localized zone of saturation above the main water table, created by an impermeable layer (aquiclude)
Perched water table
A collective term for the dripstone features found in caverns
Speleothem
A flow of groundwater that emerges naturally at the ground surface
Spring
The icicle-like structure that hangs from the ceiling of a cavern
Stalactite
The column like form that grows upward from the floor of a cavern
Stalagmite
The upper layer of the saturated zone of groundwater
Water table
An opening bored into the zone of saturation
Well
Zone near earths surface where pores and opening in rocks are filled or partly filled with water; subsurface water, but not “groundwater”; also called soil moisture
Zone of aeration
The zone where all open spaces in sediment and rock are completely filled with water
Zone of saturation
Rock or sediment through which groundwater moves easily
Aquifer
