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Chapter 10 Vocab ES
Vocab Words
| 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 wheree materials are moist, but pores contain mostly air. |
| Permeablility | Ability of a material to let water pass through, is high in material with largelarge, well-connected pors an low in mateial 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 aquifier 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 dripstone 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 precipatation and runoff is added to the zone of saturation. |
| Artesian Well | Foundation of water that spurts above the land surface when a well taps a deep, confined aquifer containing water under pressure. |