Final Exam Flashcards
how steep a river’s slope is
Gradient
how much water does a river hold
Discharge
where a river meets the sea
Delta
straight channels in a narrow valley or slot canyon slopes; prone to flash floods
Young river
gently curved channels in wider floodplains; prone to ice-jam floods
Mature river
extremely curved channels in very wide floodplains; prone to levee-burst floods
Old-age river
made of loose mud that compacts and sink
Deltas
piles of loose sand that wash away in hurricanes
Barrier islands
Sun and Moon both pull tides higher at the same time
King tides
caused by king tides
Sunny-day floods
bulge of water created by hurricanes
Storm surges
shock waves created by undersea earthquakes or landslides
Tsunami
water vapor rises from the ocean
Evaporation
wind moves through the atmosphere
Circulation
water condenses and falls back to the ground
Precipitation
water flows through rocks and soils back to rivers, lakes, and ocean
Groundwater flow
tiny holes in rocks and soil where water flows
Pores
rain soaks into the ground
Recharge
groundwater comes out at the surface
Discharge
how much empty space is present
Porosity
how well are the pores connected to each other
Permeability
any rock or sediment that can carry water (high permeability, high porosity)
Aquifer
may store water, but can’t allow it to move (low permeability)
Aquiclude
wet zone formed when groundwater flows out from a hillside
Seep
groundwater focused in a fracture or bedding plane
Spring
thin zone of wet rocks above the real water table
Perched water table