Water Erosion Flashcards
Where is most of the earth’s fresh water located?
polar ice
What % of earth’s water is useable in rivers, lakes, streams, etc?
1/2 %
Where is most of the drinking water in the US located?
ground
What things occur in the young stage of a river?
Narrow V shaped Straight Steep gradient fast flowing
What things occur during the mature stage of a river?
Gradient lessens Water slows Flood plan develops Meanders develop Valley widens
What things occur during the old stage of a river?
flood plain widens meanders broaden yazoo streams slow moving water oxbow lakes levees
Rivers carry 3 types of sediment load. What are they?
Solution
Suspension
bedload
What is solution?
dissolved material
What is suspension?
fine material in turbulence
What is bedlad?
heavy particles dragged along bottom
The amount of erosion depends on what?
velocity or discharge
What is drainage basin?
land that drains into river system
What is divide?
high land that separates drainage basin
What is discharge?
volume of water passing a point in a given time
What is floodplain?
wide level area that borders a river and is covered by water during a flood-rich soil- good for crops
Describe recession by water
face of waterfall eroding away moving the falls upstream
What is an example of recession by water?
Niagara Falls
What can change the carrying power of a river?
velocity and discharge
- Drought/flood
- channel width
- slope/gradient
A fan shaped deposit formed when a river meets a slower moving body of water is called a what?
Delta
A deposit formed on land when a stream enters a flat plain is called what?
alluvial fan
Hot water coming to the surface through a wide opening is called a what?
hot springs
IF this water travels upward through mud, it is a what?
mud pot
Old faithful is an example of what?
geyser
What is a geyser?
a hot spring with a small opening through which steam periodically escapes
______________ is the name for regions with caves, sinkholes, and natural bridges
Karst topography
What is stalagmite?
carbonate dripstone deposition on cave floor
What is stalactite?
carbonate dripstone deposit on cave roof
What is column?
when a stalactite and stalagmite meet
What is a sink hole?
roof of cavern weakens and collapses through to the surface
What is aquifer?
permeable layer of rock that carries water
What is groundwater?
water stored underground
What is the difference between porosity and permeability?
porosity- % of rock that is pore space
permeability- rate/ability for water to pass through
What 2 factors affect porosity?
1) particle shape
2) particle sorting
What does it mean if a rock is impermeable?
Water cannot pass through
What is an example of an impermeable rock?
shale and clay
How deep is the water table below the surface?
depends
What changes the depth of the water table?
climate season depth of impermeable layer topography land use type of rock vegitation
