Weather & Flowing Water (part two) Flashcards
Define creep in terms of geology:
Slow almost imperceptible mass movement.
-this is a continuous process
Define Solifluction:
-Flow of soil occurring mostly cold high latitudes
What are the three pathways of water at the surface?
- Infiltration
- Evapotranspiration (Vegetation uptake and
evaporation) - Runoff
What four features does infiltration depend on?
- Physcial characteristics of soil
- Coarse soils = greater inflitration rates - Moisture content of soil
- Dry soils absorb more moisture - Vegetation cover
- Dense cover prevents infiltration - Nature of rainfall
- Strong and long storms cause run-off
- Run-off flows to streams or permeable soil or rock
What three factors affect a streams velocity?
- Gradient
- Channel Characteristics
- Discharge
Define gradient:
Change in stream elevation between two points
-Steeper river slopes (gradient)
equal faster flow
Define Channel Characteristic:
Shape, Size and Roughness
- V or U shape, Big or small, rough or
smooth
Define Stream Discharge:
Water volume passing a channel’s cross-section
in a certain amount of time
What percentage of all the water on Earth is usable for humans, animals, and insects to share?
less that one percent. (0.62%)
What is the most critical resource the earth has?
Water
What is the second most important resource we have on earth?
Soil
The Zone of Saturation is also called:
The Phreatic Zone
Zone of aeration is also called:
The Vadose Zone
In the Vadose Zone, water moves by:
percolation, capillary actions, and evaporation
what is capillary action?
water moving from wetter soil to drier soil
What is percolation?
water movement due to the force of gravity.
Where is the water table located?
in the uppermost part of the Phreatic Zone( Zone of Saturation)
Where are aquifers mainly found?
generally found in the Zone of Saturation (Phreatic Zone), Aquifers are fully or partially saturated zones
Define aquifers:
water that is stored in the ground, generally between porous or other types of rock beds where there is enough room between rocks for the water to be held
Define Aquiclude:
Aquicludes stop the infiltration of water, and keeps the water trapped in its current location. Aquicludes can be found mainly underneath aquifers.
Define Cones of Depression:
Cone of Depression is the result of water being extracted from aquifers, causing the ground to dip or sink down, forming an indention in the ground. The more water you withdraw, the deep the cone becomes.
What are the top two types of rocks that make excellent aquiers?
Porous Sandstones and Limestones
What are two very good aquicludes?
Shale and mudstones act as excellent aquicludes, because they do not allow water to pass.
Define unconfined aquifer:
Unconfined aquifers receive water from infiltration
-Water moves from high to low areas
