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Chapter 10 vocab.KS
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| infiltration | the process by which precipitation that has fallen on land trickles into the ground and becomes groundwater. |
| zone of saturation | the region below earths surface in which groundwater completely fills all the pores of a material |
| Water table | the upper boundary of the zone of saturation |
| zone of aeration | above the water table, materials are moist, but because they are not saturated with water, air occupies much of the pores |
| permeability | the tendency of a material to let water pass through |
| aquifers | groundwater flows through permeable sediment and rock |
| aquicludes | barriers to groundwater flow |
| springs | natural discharges of groundwater |
| hot springs | springs that discharge water that is much warmer than the average annual temperature. |
| geysers | explosive hot springs |
| cave | a natural underground opening with a connection to Earth's surface |
| sinkhole | a depression in the ground caused by the collapse of a cave or by the direct dissolution of limestone by acidic water |
| karst topography | limestone regions taht have sinkholes and disappearing streams |
| stalactite | a dripstone that hangs from the ceiling of the cave |
| stalagmites | a dripstone that builds up to a mound in a cave |
| well | holes dug or drilled into the groun to reach an aquifer |
| drawdown | the difference between the original water table level and the water level in the pumped well |
| recharge | water from precipitation replenishes the water sontent of an aquifer |
| artessian well | when the rate of recharge is high enough the pressurized water in a well drilled into an artesian aquifer can spurt above the land surface in the form of a fountain |