hydrology and geology Flashcards
what is soil?
weathered rocks and organic material
what is humus?
dark and spongey decomposed organic material
what are layers of soil called
horizons
what is the a horizon?
the top layer of soil, also called top soil, most humus, rich in organic material
what is the b horizon?
the middle layer of soil, also called subsoil, less humus than a horizon
what is the c horizon?
under b horizon, above parent rock, mostly rocky sediment
what is sol conservation?
an effort to prevent and keep soil fertile
how does covering (or planting in) soil prevent erosion?
the roots of plants dont allow the soil to be blown away by wind or washed away by water
what does it mean to terrace land?
to plant in rows down a hill to prevent erosion
what is a levee?
an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed wall which regulates water levels
what is a water table?
highest point filled with water (within the saturation zone)
what is a divide?
high land area that separates one watershed from another
what are some features of a river or stream?
stream channels, channel beds, channel banks, tributaries, meander, oxbow lake, delta
what is a stream channel?
path that a stream follows
what is a channel bed?
below the water
what is a channel bank?
sides of the stream
what are tributaries?
feeder streams that lead into the main river
what is a meander?
curves in the stream channel
what is an oxbow lake?
created by meanders that are cut off from stream channel (may become lake or fill in with vegetation)
what is condensation?
gas to liquid (has to cool)
what is precipitation?
water (in any form) falling from clouds
what is evaporation?
liquid to gas
what is groundwater?
water located below earth’s surface
what is water vapor?
water in gas form
what is an aquifer?
underground layer of rock that groundwater flows through
what is the water cycle?
describes the continuous flow or cycle of water
what is runoff?
surface water that drains into bodys of water
what is transpiration?
plant leaves giving off water vapor
what is a spring?
a natural discharge of water from earth’s surface
what is a hot spring?
a place where hot water flows through the ground?
what is a geyser?
explosive hot spring that erupts at regular intervals
what is a well?
hole dug or drilled deep into the ground to reach a reservoir of groundwater
what is an artesian well?
a place in the ground where water flows up through the surface because of pressure
what is the zone of saturation?
the zone where water fills it completely
what is the zone of aeration?
the zone that contains mostly air
what is a water table?
highest point within the zone of saturation filled with water
what is an estuary?
where saltwater meets freshwater
what are the four types of estuaries?
drowned river valleys, bar-built, tectonic, fjords
what are drowned river estuaries?
where rising sea levels flood existing river valleys
what are bar-built estuaries?
characterized by barrier islands that form parallel to the shore, cutting off the estuary from the ocean
what are tectonic estuaries?
formed by the movement of earth’s tectonic plates
what are fjords?
steep-walled river valleys created by advancing glaciers, later becoming flooded with seawater with the retreating glaciers
what is porosity?
percentage of pore space in a material
what is porosity?
percentage of pore space in a material?
what is permeability?
ability of a material to let water pass through it
what is subsidence?
when all water is removed from the saturation zone and the sol above collapses
what is point source pollution?
pollution that has a traceable source
what is non-point source pollution?
pollution that doesn’t have a single traceable source
what is sediment pollution?
pollution from sediment
what is nutrient pollution?
when high concentrations of nutrients (nitrogen/phosphorus) promote explosive algae growth. when this algae dies, the decomposition uses a lot of oxygen which kills fish and other aquatic organisms
what is bacterial pollution?
pollution by bacteria
what are some effects of acid rain?
death of fish and aquatic organisms, damage to ecosystems and food chains, death of plants and trees, nutrients removal from soil, corrodes building structures, makes people sick
what is erosion?
rock or soil moves to a new place
what is deposition?
rock or soil that is dropped to a new place
what is weathering?
rock or soil that is broken down
what is chemical weathering?
changes of the chemical makeup of rocks
what is mechanical weathering?
physical changes to rocks
what is abrasion?
mechanical weathering caused by contact of moving sediments
what is oxidation?
rusting is an example of chemical weathering
what is ice wedging?
when ice seeps into cracks in rock, freezes and expands which makes the cracks bigger. this is an example of physical weathering
