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Earth Science Ch. 10
Vocabulary
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 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 pores 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 a 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 dripstone deposit of calcium carbonate that hangs like an icicle from a cave's ceiling. |
stalagmite | mound-shaped dripstone deposit of calcium carbonate that hangs like an icicle from a cave's ceiling. |