Earth science 6 study notes Flashcards
what is an artesian well?
A well that doesn’t require a pump to bring water to the surface.
what is an aquifer
a layer of rock and sediments that holds water.
what is another term for water table and what is it?
Zone of saturation. It is an underground area where the earths surface is saturated with water.
What is needed for an artesian well?
what are hot springs
water that is heated by heat from the earths interior like magama.
what is a downdrain in a well
what is ogallala aquifer
The biggest aquifer in America.
what is the water cycle
the term given to the repeating pattern of the water moving between the atmosphere and the earth..
describe the three phases of water cycle.
Evaporation: when liquid goes back up as gas because of the sun
Condensation: Forms clouds as the water goes up and cools then when it gets too heavy if falls.
Precipitation: When the clouds can no longer hold the water and lets it drop (rain, snow,)
The ability of a stream to erode and transport materials depends largely on what?
Its velocity.
what is dicharge
the volume of water flowing through a river channel.
what is the base level
the lowest point to which a stream can erode its channel
what is abrasion?
the process of scraping or wearing something away.
what are the three ways streams transport their sediment load.
Solution (dissolved load) In suspension (suspended load) Bouncing or rolling along the bottom (bed load)
when does deposition occur in streams
when the streamflow drops below the critical setting velocity of a certain particle size.
What does a narrow V shaped valley tell you about a stream.
the streams primary work has been downcutting toward base level.
what causes most floods
rapid spring snow melt or storms that bring heavy rain over a large region.
what are some things you do to control flooding
levees, flood control dams, and placing limits on floodplain developments.
how does groundwater move how does size determine speed
by twisting and turning through interconnecting small openings
what is the zone of saturation
where water fills all the pore spaces in sediments and rock
when does a spring form
whenever the water table intersects the ground surface
what are some things that threaten grounwater supplies in some areas
contamination and overuse
where does erosian form most caverns
at or below the water table at the zone of saturation
what do karst areas normally have
irregular terrain with many depressions called sinkholes
when gradient increases…
velocity increases
what is a streams drainage basin or watershed
thewater that flows into it
when do streams and rivers deposit sediments?
when their velocity decreases.
where is a rivers discharge generally the greatest
at the mouth of it
what makes streams flow from mountains to sea level?
gravity
what is gradient/stream channel?
the slope/steepness of a stream: stream channel is the course the water in the stream follows
when does a runoff occur??
when their is more water than land
what is sheet erosion
runoff flowing in a thin layer over flat land carries sediments to lower elevations and then drops it
what is gully erosian
occurs is a number of riller merge and water freuquently flows
what is rill erosion
begins during a heavy rain washing away plants and soil leaving a scar.
how do streams form
when gullies join rogether
what are tributaries
streams of rivers that flow into a larger river.
what are the two types of base levels
ultimate base which is sea level: and temporary which is base level for a stream’s multiple tributaries.
what are deltas
wetlands that form as rivers empty their water and sediment into another body of water, such as an ocean, lake, or another river.
what is aluvium
the sorted material deposited by a stream
what are narrow valleys
V-shaped like the yellowston river.
what are wide valleys
lowerdown on its course a river usually flows over more gently soping land
what are pores
the spaces between the pieces of weatherd rock
what is distribution
water will keep going down until it reaches a layer of impermiable rock called a aquatard
what is dripstone features
water containing calcite builds into a hollow tube called soda straw then slowly forms a stalactite
what is karst topogrophy
an area that has a number of sinkholes and caves because their areas are underlain by limestone..
