GROUND WATER Flashcards
Potable
drinkable
Infiltration
water going on the ground
Water Table
underground surface below which the ground is wholly saturated with water
Aquifer
a body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater
A sloping layer of permeable rock sandwiched by 2 layers of impermeable rock. Water is under pressure.
artesian formation
The combination of adhesion and cohesion that allows water to travel up small spaces
Capillary Action
a naturally formed underground chamber or series of chambers most commonly produced by dissolving limestone.
cavern
stored soil water is gone and the need for moisture is greater than the rainfall
deficit
a natural hot spring that occasionally sprays water and steam above ground
geyser
water that infiltrates the soil and is located in underground reservoirs called aquifers
groundwater
a type of landscape in rainy regions where there is limestone near the surface, characterized by caverns, sinkholes, and valleys
Karst topography
What forms when groundwater cools or evaporates?
Mineral deposit
a well that is dug or filled down to the water table
ordinary well
percentage of open spaces in a rock or sediment
porosity
the ability of a rock or sediment to let fluids pass through its open spaces, or pores
permeability
new water that enters the aquifer from the surface
recharge
a place where groundwater seeps out of the ground
spring
the condition of having rainfall greater than the need for moisture when the soil is already saturated
Surplus
the condition where plants draw water form the soil at times when the need for moisture is greater than the rainfall.
usage
describes the income and the spending of water in a region
water budget
characteristic of materials through which water does not easily pass, such as clay and granite
permeable
completely filled
saturated
region in ground where pore spaces are filled with air
zone of aeration
region in ground where pore spaces are completely filled with water
zone of saturation
region above the water table with water drawn up by capillary action
capillary ringe
lowered area of a water table produced by pumping water from a well
cone of depression
earth materials which do not allow the free movement of groundwater through it
aquifard
the countries largest aquifer located under the high plains (CP Only)
olgalla
where an aquitard creates a local zone of saturation above the main water table
perched water table
The level that water in an artesian well will reach
pressured surface
water that contains high amounts of minerals (as calcium and magnesium ions) that limit the formation of lather with soap
hard water
The change of water from its gaseous form (water vapor) into liquid water
CONDENSATION
The process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and by transpiration from plants.
evapotranspiration?
The line where saturated and unsaturated layers meet.
WATR TABLE
Is the movement of water, under the influence of gravity, from the upper part of the soil down through the pores to deeper horizons or underlying rocks.
PERCOLATION
Is the portion of the precipitation that has been absorbed by the ground and has become part of the groundwater.
GROUNDWATERFLOW
Is when there is more rainwater than the small detention hollows can hold, the water flows over the land as surface runoff.
OVERLAND FLOW
Is the removal of water that falls as precipitation, via the network of streams and rivers.
RUNOFF
Occurs when water enters a soil system faster than the soil can absorb or move it, such as when precipitation exceeds the infiltration capacity of the soil.
Infiltration excess
An aquifer that lies between two aquicludes and often obtains its groundwater from a distant area, where it eventually reaches the surface.
CONFINED AQUIFER
An aquifer that is not separated from the ground surface by an aquiclude and obtains its groundwater from local infiltration; its upper boundary is the water table. Obtains its water from local infiltrations, as if the sponge were at the surface.
UNCONFINED AQUIFER
Maximum amount of water that a soil can hold by capillary tension against the downward pull of gravity.
FIELD CAPACITY
