Hydrologic Cycle
What powers the hydrologic cycle?
The sun
Define what a stream and its drainage basin are.
Stream: Channel that is at least sometimes carrying water.
Drainage basin: Area around a stream that feeds rainwater into the stream
What is the difference between a mountain stream valley and a plain stream valley?
Mountain stream valleys are thinner, and erode down into the bedrock
Plain stream valleys are wider and erode left to right in meandering pattern
Describe what groundwater is and where it is located. What is the top called?
Groundwater is located in pores and fractures within the soil, the top of the groundwater zone is called the water table.
Caverns form when limestone beneath the surface is dissolved by acidic groundwater leaving an opening in the soil.
Name and describe the 3 major processes in the hydrologic cycle
Evaporation: Rising of water to the atmosphere as it changes from liquid to gas
Condensation: Cooling of water vapor into liquid water to form clouds
Precipitation: Falling of water from clouds onto the surface of Earth.
Name the 3 stream drainage patterns, what they look like, and where they could be found
Dendritic: Tree like streams, found in flat areas
Radial: Streams coming out from center, one central point
Trellised: Streams coming together in straight parallel lines, found on ridges
Explain what a flood and flood plain are
A flood is when the discharge of a stream exceeds its carrying capacity causing water to spread over the sides. A flood plain is the area around a stream affected when it floods.
Describe how wells work
Wells work through digging a hole into the aquifer below and reaching the water table, the hole will then fill with water and this water can be pumped to the surface for use.
Explain what dripstone is and where the two types are found.
Name and describe the 2 land processes of the Hydrologic Cycle.
Infiltration: The process where water enters the soil and becomes groundwater
Transpiration: The process where groundwater is taken up by plants and evaporated.
Describe discharge and lag time for a stream, would a bigger drainage basin mean more or less lag time?
Discharge: Volume of water traveling through a stream at one time
Lag time: Time it takes from peak rainfall to peak discharge.
Bigger drainage basin = longer lag time
Artificial levees and Dams
Describe what an aquifer is and what a confined vs unconfined aquifer refers to
An aquifer is the area of the ground that carries and allows the flow of groundwater. Confined aquifers are not recharged from directly above due to a layer of clay in the way. Unconfined aquifers can be directly recharged from above
Describe how a sinkhole can from
As precipitation saturates the ground, what will future rainfall become?
Runoff
Name and describe the three types of stream load, make sure to mention sediment types found in each.
Dissolved load: Sediments that have completely broken down and are dissolve totally.
Suspended load: Sediments that are carried by the current of a stream: clay/silt
Bed load: sediments rolled/slid along the bottom of a stream: sand/gravel
Describe the process of an artificial levee forming
Over time as a stream continually floods, sediment will build up on the walls because that is where water slows down. Slowing water always deposits sediments so over time walls will be built up increasing the capacity of the stream.
Describe porosity and permeability and how they affect groundwater.
Porosity is the percentage of open pore spaces in the ground, it determines the amount of groundwater that could be contained
Permeability is the ability for groundwater to move between pores, it determines whether groundwater will be capable of entering the present pores.
Describe what karst topography is
When limestone is very prevalent in an area as it dissolved it will create interesting structures and caverns.
Name and describe the 3 major factors affecting land processes, what do they increase/decrease?
Vegetation: Increases infiltration and transpiration.
Compaction: Decreases infiltration and transpiration.
Slope: Decreases infiltration and transpiration.
Describe where and why a delta would form
Describe how a spring can form and what it requires to become a hot spring
A spring it the result of an intersection between the surface of the ground and the water table. This causes water to immediately flow out of any opening and fill up the above open surface. It becomes a hot spring when hot rocks warm the groundwater before it rises.
Erosion: taking away limestone in water
deposition: deposition of limestone as dripstone.