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Chapter 10 Vocab
Term | Definition |
---|---|
infiltration | process by which precipitation that has fallen on land surfaces enters the ground and becomes groundwater. |
zone of saturation | region below Earth's surface where all the pores of a material are completely filled with groundwater. |
water table | upper boundary of the zone of saturation that rises during wet seasons and drops during dry periods. |
zone of aeration | region above the water table where materials are moist, but ores contain mostly air. |
permeability | ability of a material to let water pass through, is high in material with large, well-connected pores and low in material with few pores or small pores. |
aquifer | permeable underground layer through which groundwater flows relatively easily. |
aquiclude | impermeable layer that is a barrier to groundwater; such as silt, clay, and shale. |
spring | natural discharge of groundwater at Earth's surface where an aquifer and an aquiclude come in contact. |
hot spring | thermal spring with temperatures higher than that of the human body. |
geyser | explosive hot spring that erupts regularly. |
cave | a natural underground opening connected to Earth's surface, usually formed when groundwater dissolves limestone. |
sinkhole | depression in Earth's surface formed when a cave collapses or bedrock is dissolved by acidic rain or moist soil. |
karst topography | irregular topography with sinkholes, sinks, and sinking streams caused by groundwater dissolution of limestone. |
stalactite | cone-shaped or cylindrical drip-stone deposit of calcium carbonate that hangs like an icicle from a cave's ceiling. |
stalagmite | mound-shaped dripstone deposit of calcium carbonate that forms on a cave's floor beneath a stalactite. |
well | deep hole drilled or dug into the ground to reach a reservoir of groundwater. |
drawdown | difference between the water level in a pumped well and the original water-table level. |
recharge | process by which water from precipitation and runoff is added to the zone of saturation. |
artesian well | fountain of water that spurts above the land surface when a well taps a deep, confined aquifer containing water under pressure. |