groundwater - exam 2

Question 1

what is the most major reservoir of liquid freshwater readily available to humans?

Answer 1

groundwater

Question 2

the dissolving action of groundwater slowly removes soluble rock such as limestone, creating?

Answer 2

surface depressions known as sinkholes and subterranean caverns

Question 3

what is groundwater most used for compared to all other uses combined?

Answer 3

irrigation

Question 4

the upper limit of the zone of saturation is called?

Answer 4

the water table

Question 5

the water table is highly

Answer 5

invariable

Question 6

an important characteristic of the configuration of what varies seasonally and yearly because ether addition of water to the groundwater system is closely related to the quantity, distribution, and timing of precipitation?

Answer 6

the water table

Question 7

the elevation of the water table is mapped and studied in detail by examining?

Answer 7

water levels in wells

Question 8

a stream that gains water from the inflow of groundwater through the steambed?

Answer 8

a gaining stream

Question 9

a stream that loses water to the groundwater system by outflow through the steambed

Answer 9

a losing stream

Question 10

for a losing stream to occur, the water table must sit

Answer 10

lower than the surface of the stream

Question 11

for a gaining stream to occur, the elevation of the water table must be

Answer 11

higher than the level of the surface of the stream

Question 12

the quantity of groundwater that can be stored depends on the ____ of a material

Answer 12

porosity

Question 13

the two factors that strongly influence the rate of groundwater movement and the amount of groundwater that can be stored

Answer 13

porosity and permeability

Question 14

pores must be connected and large enough in a rock to

Answer 14

allow water to flow through it

Question 15

permeability is

Answer 15

a materials ability for a liquid to penetrate and transmit through it

Question 16

the smaller the pores/ porosity of a rock, what is the pace in which the water moves?

Answer 16

water is moved slowly

Question 17

the ability of a clay deposit to store water is great because of its high porosity, but its pore spaces are so small that water is unable to move through it. we would refer to clay as

Answer 17

impermeable

Question 18

impermeable layers that prevent or hinder the movement of groundwater are referred to as

Answer 18

aquitards

Question 19

permeable rock strata or sediments that transmit groundwater freely are referred to as

Answer 19

aquifers

Question 20

common examples of aquifers

Answer 20

sand and gravels

Question 21

common examples of aquitards

Answer 21

clay

Question 22

our modern understanding of groundwater movement comes from the mid nineteenth century by the work of

Answer 22

henri darcy

Question 23

the coefficient coined by henri darcy

Answer 23

hydraulic conductivity

Question 24

subsurface geology exhibits a complicated arrangement of aquifer units with

Answer 24

high hydraulic conductivity

Question 25

subsurface geology exhibits a complicated arrangement of aquitards

Answer 25

low hydraulic conductivity

Question 26

the expression of the hydraulic gradient has come to be called

Answer 26

darcy’s law

Question 27

the hydraulic gradient is also referred to as

Answer 27

the water table slope

Question 28

an aquitard situated above the main water table forms a

Answer 28

perched water table

Question 29

this term is applied to any situation in which groundwater under pressure rises above the level of the aquifer

Answer 29

artesian

Question 30

when the surface pressure is above the ground and a well is drilled into the aquifer, what is created?

Answer 30

a flowing artesian wall

Question 31

the term for when a water table intersects earth’s surface and a natural outflow of groundwater results

Answer 31

a spring

Question 32

when groundwater circulates at great depths it can become heated. if this water then rises to the surface, it may emerge as

Answer 32

a hot spring

Question 33

intermittent hot springs or fountains in which columns of water are ejected with great force at various intervals

Answer 33

geysers

Question 34

the most spectacular results of groundwater intrusion

Answer 34

limestone caverns