EXAM 3 Flashcards
how much of the world’s electricity is generated by hydropower?
17%
which country has the largest production of hydroelectricity?
China
what is the 100 yr flood?
1% chance in any year of a 100-magnitude flood
what are examples of endogenous processes?
volcanic and tectonic activities/landscapes
what are examples of exogenous processes?
water-related activities, wind, glaciers, slides
how are sequential landforms made?
created when exogenous processes wear and shape initial landforms
which country had the most substantial earthquake (in terms of magnitude) in recent history?
Chile (1960, 9.5)
what is weathering?
all processes causing rock to disintegrate physically or chemically because of exposure at or near the surface
what’s an oxbow lake?
meander river channel cut-off occurring during flood stage
how much of the total agriculture water use is affiliated w groundwater?
2/3
what unit is common with discharge rates?
cubic ft per second
largest carrier of water?
Mississippi river
is hydropower consumptive or nonconsumptive?
nonconsumptive
is irrigation consumptive or nonconsumptive?
consumptive
how old is the Earth?
4.5 billion years
what is the broadest age category?
eons
what is the most detailed age category?
epochs
what are the age categories from broadest to most detailed?
eons, eras, periods, epochs, ages
what is the surface of the Earth a reflection of?
last 66 million years
is the outer or inner core liquid?
outer
what is the outer layer of the mantle?
asthenosphere
where is the crust thickest? continents or ocean?
continents
what is isostatic adjustment?
ongoing movement of land once burdened by ice-age glaciers
what is the makeup of the Earth’s crust? (finest to broadest)
elements, minerals, rocks
three major types of rocks?
igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary
how is igneous rock formed?
lava
how is metamorphic rock formed?
large amounts of pressure
how is sedimentary rock formed?
layers compacted upon layers of rock
smaller volcanoes, generally a mile wide, mostly made up of gravel sizes pyroclastic
cinder cone
tall, cone-shaped composite of lava, formed from andesitic rock, lava flows and pyroclastic materials, sometimes explosive
composite volcano
gradual slopes, low-viscosity lava, is less explosive
shield volcano
volcano with extremely viscous silica rich magma, vent plugs near top of volcanic core, steep sides
plug volcano
what is Pahoehoe lava flow?
very fluid, rapid flow-develops a ropey texture when hardened
what is AaAa lava flow?
great viscosity, slow moving lava, hardened crust breaks into sharp, jagged blocks
what is an example of a shield volcano?
Hawaiian Islands
what are examples of composite volcano?
Mount Fuji
Vesuvius
Etna
Rainier
Mount St. Helens
what are some examples of a volcanic plug?
Mount Lassen in CA
what is a batholith?
a mass of rock formed when a large body of magma cools inside the crust
what is a laccolith?
a mass of igneous rock that has been intruded between rock strata causing uplift in the shape of a dome
what is a sill?
horizontal sheet of intrusive igneous rock
what is a dike?
vertical, wall-like igneous intrusion
what are the types of fault expressions?
normal, reverse, thrust, and strike-slip
what is a normal fault expression?
break in the rock strata, one layer drops below the other at a steep angle
what is a reverse fault expression?
steep angle
one layer pushed over another
what is a thrust fault expression?
fault line convergence
one rock layer is thrust up an over another
lower angle than reverse
what is a strike-slip fault expression?
like transform
two pieces are sliding by each other
where is the earthquake focus?
below the ground
where is the epicenter of an earthquake?
directly above the focus
on the surface
what waves are released from earthquakes?
seismic
what is mudflow?
mud stream, often rapid movement, very dangerous, sometimes linked to quick clays
what are the key elements that lead to susceptibility to mass wasting?
composition, slope
what kind of erosion is caused from a raindrop hitting the water/ground?
splash erosion
what are deep trenches caused by erosion called?
gully erosion
what is hydraulic action?
flowing water in the stream channel moves pebbles and fine grains
what is abrasion?
mechanical grinding of grains of gravel in a stream channel
what is corrosion?
- chemical process of rock weathering
- water interacts with certain rock elements and minerals to create an acid like reaction
what is alluvium?
alluvial deposits broken up rock material deposited by water
what is a delta?
deposition at point where stream/river flows into an ocean or lake
what is a braided stream?
- bed load exceeds stream capacity
- bed load is deposited in the stream channel
what percentage of the earth’s land area is covered by glacial ice?
10%
how much fresh water is in glacial ice?
70%
what is a drainage basin (watershed)?
an area of land which has the potential and slope to direct water into a stream or one of its tributaires
what are examples of watersheds and drainage basins?
Mississippi drainage basin
Ohio River drainage basin
Hocking River Watershed
what are sources of streamflow?
rain, snow melts, glacial melt, ground water (throughflow), lakes, swamps
what is weathering?
all processes causing rock to disintegrate physically or chemically because of exposure at or near the surface
what are the two types of weathering?
Physical/Mechanical and Chemical
what is physical weathering?
break-up of large rocks into smaller particles by physical force
what is chemical weathering?
a chemical change in rock by exposure to atmospheric variables
what are examples of chemical weathering?
carbonation, oxidation, hydrolysis, and solution
what is carbonation weathering?
water reacts with calcium carbonates to create an acid that eats away at rocks
what is oxidation weathering?
also known as rust, dissolved oxygen in water interacts with metallic elements
what is hydrolysis weathering
chemical union of water and salts form acids-similar to carbonation but with salt
what scale is used for earthquakes?
richter scale (measured in magnitude)
what is the hydrologic cycle?
the continuous circulation of water in the Earth-Atmosphere system
what percentage of the US population uses groundwater?
44%
what are factors that impact the availability of groundwater?
climate, vegetation, soil, bedrock, geological structures/slope, and human activities
what is an aquifer?
rock mass or layer that readily transmits and holds groundwater; highly porous and permeable
what is an artesian well?
- a well drilled into an aquifer under pressure
- requires no pumping to get water flow
- uses the pressure of rocks instead
what is porosity?
void spaces. determines the amount of water than can be stored in a mass of rock or sediment
what is permeability?
ability to allow water to move through the earth
what is infiltration?
movement of water into the ground
what is a karst?
landscape creates when water reacts with calcareous rock and creates a sinkhole or cavern
what is a hot spring?
an area where groundwater comes in contact with hot rock and magma below the Earth’s surface
what are the advantages of hydropower?
flexibility, low power costs, reduced carbon dioxide, recreation, and flood control
what are the disadvantages of hydropower?
ecosystem damage, loss of lands, siltation, relocation/eminent domain
what is discharge?
the amount of water passing a specific point on the stream per unit time
what is turbidity?
clarity or muddiness of water; affects the ability of sunlight to penetrate
what is the most common element in the Earth’s crust?
oxygen (47%)
