Rock/Water Test Flashcards
In what physical state does most of Earth´s fresh water exist?
solid, frozen, form of icers or ice caps
Other than glaciers, what is the other abundant freshwater resource
groundwater
What process keeps the amount of water on Earth´s surface constant?
Water(hydrophilic) cycle
Watershed def.
the land area that contributes water to a stream (includes all surface water and groundwater)
What watersheds is Eaton associated with?
Cache la Poudre, South Platte, Missouri, Mississippi
Which side of the Rocky Mountains are most of Colorado’s surface water located?
west side
why is the water on the west side but the higher population is on the east
rainshadow effect: more precipitation on the west side
Factors that determine the velocity of a river
gradient, stream Channel, Discharge
Which side of the rocky mountains is most of Colorado´s population?
east side
how did colorado address the distribution of water in the state and the pattern of the population?
Colorado has managed this by creating dam, pipelines, tunnels, and water ways to move the water over the mountain.
explain what occurs with sediments being carried by a stream as the velocity of the stream decreases
Sediment begins to drop out beginning with the largest particle-sorting
Factors that increase infiltration of groundwater
steepness of slope, nature of surface, intensity of rainfall, and type of amount of vegatation
Porosity def.
How much air space is in sediment or rock in the form of holes, cracks, cavities, from dissolved rocks, gaps, between grains(Determines amount of water that can be stored)
Permeability def.
How well the pore spaces are connected with each other(Determines how water moves through sediment or rock)
Factors that affect the porosity and permeability of sediments
size, sorting, groundness
Define aquifer
groundwater storage, a body of permeable rock that can contain or allow water through it
What is a water table?
upper level of saturated ground
Explain the formation of caves and sinkholes.
when mildly acidic groundwater dissolves the calcite in limestone. This occurs in the zone of saturation when groundwater has constant contact with limestone.
What criteria define a mineral?
Naturally occurring, inorganic, solid, chemical composition, crystalline structure
The appearance or quality of light reflected from the surface of the mineral.
luster
The resistance of a mineral to being scratched is known as
hardness
Minerals that break in unpredictable or irregular patterns show
fracture