module 5: resources Flashcards
the proportion of void space in the material
Porosity
measure of how readily fluids pass through the material
Permeability
a volume of rock or soil above the impermeable material that is water-saturated
Saturated zone or phreatic zone
the water in the saturated zone
Groundwater
rock or soil above the saturated zone in which the pore spaces are filled partly with water, partly with air
Unsaturated zone or vadose zone
all of the water occupying pore space below the ground surface this includes ground water, soil moisture, and water in unsaturated rocks.
Subsurface water
an underground boundary between the soil surface and the area where groundwater saturates spaces between sediments and cracks in rock.
water table
the processes of infiltration and migration or percolation by which ground water is replaced
Recharge
rock that holds enough water and transmits it rapidly enough to be useful as a source of water
Aquifer
occurs where ground water flows into a stream, escapes at the surface in a spring, or otherwise exits the aquifer
discharge
rock that may store a considerable quantity of water, but in which water flow is slowed, or retarded
aquitard
a rock that is essentially impermeable on a human timescale
Aquiclude
when the aquifer is directly overlain only by permeable rocks and soil
Unconfined aquifer
bounded above and below by low permeability rocks
confined aquifer
a circular lowering of the water table
Cone of depression
another problem arising from groundwater use in coastal regions
Salt water intrusion
a common way to provide more land for construction
Filling in wetlands
partial solution to the problem of areas where groundwater use exceeds natural recharge rate
Recharge basins
creates a distinctive terrain
karst
the ground collapses abruptly into the void
sinkhole
contains substantial amounts of dissolved calcium and magnesium
Hard water
Water Quality Guidelines and General Effluent Standards
DENR A.O. 2016-08
allow parched coastal regions to tap the vast ocean reservoirs
Desalination of seawater
the water is passed through fine filters or membranes to screen out dissolved impurities
filtration system
heating or boiling water full of dissolved minerals
Distillation
an essential resource especially for the production of the major portion of our food
Soil
processes acting to break down rocks and minerals
Weathering
the physical breakup of rocks without changes in the rocks’ composition
Mechanical weathering
the breakdown of minerals by chemical reaction with water, with other chemicals dissolved in water, or with gases in the air
Chemical weathering
plays a major role in the intensity of chemical weathering
Climate
effects can be either mechanical or chemical
Biological weathering
may add components to soil
Airborne chemicals and sediments
consisting wholly of organic matter
O horizon
below O horizon, consists of the most intensively weathered rock material
A horizon
below the A horizon, is also known as the zone of leaching
E horizon
below the B horizon, is a zone consisting principally of very coarsely broken-up bedrock and little else
C horizon
the zone of accumulation
B horizon
relates to the soil’s tendency to form lumps or clods of soil particles
Soil structure
soils were seen as characteristic of more humid regions
pedalfer
the soil of a dry climate
pedocal
common to many less-developed nations and poses special agricultural challenges
Lateritic soil
rich in accumulated organic matter
Wetland Soils
physical removal of material from one place to another
Soil Erosion
single slope is terraced into a series of shallower slopes
terracing
Surface runoff may be slowed on moderate slopes by
contour plowing
alternating crops of different heights
Strip cropping
a rock in which a valuable or useful metal occurs at a concentration sufficiently high
ore
Types of Mineral Deposits
Igneous Rocks and Magmatic Deposits
the term given to unusually coarse-grained igneous intrusions
Pegmatite
They are mined primarily from igneous rocks
kimberlites
Ordinary table salt, known mineralogically as
halite
They are rarely the sites of primary formation of ore minerals
Streams
used in “lead” pencils, in batteries, as a lubricant
Graphite
most heavily used metal and it is also one of the most common metals
Iron
an excellent catalyst
Platinum
practical when a large, three dimensional ore body is located near the surface
Open-pit mining
more often used to extract coal than mineral resources
Strip-mining
to extract metals from ores
Smelting
refers to any remains or evidence of ancient life
Fossil
energy sources that formed from the remains of once living organisms.
Fossil fuels
Oil is commonly discussed in units of
barrels
Recovery using no techniques beyond pumping
primary recovery
when flow falls off, water may be pumped into the reservoir
Secondary recovery
crystalline solids of gas and water molecules
Gas (methane) hydrates
oxygen is absent or nearly so
anaerobic
known as oil sands, are sedimentary rocks containing a very thick, semisolid, tarlike petroleum
Tar sands
the splitting apart of atomic nuclei into smaller ones
Fission
the combining of smaller nuclei into larger ones
Fusion
The energy of falling or flowing water which has been used for centuries
Hydropower
EPA
Environmental Protection Agency
