| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Pores | Spaces between rock particles |
| Groundwater | The water that is beneath Earth's surface |
| Aquifer | A body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater |
| Porosity | The percentage of the total volume of a rock or sediment that consists of open spaces |
| Sorting | The amount of uniformity in the size of the rock or sediment particles |
| Permeability | The ability of a rock or sediment to let fluids pass through its open spaces, or pores |
| Impermeable | means water can not flow through something |
| Zone of Saturation | The layer of an aquifer in which the pore space is completely filled with water |
| Saturated | means "filled to capacity" |
| Water Table | The upper surface of underground water; the upper boundary of the zone of saturation |
| Zone of Aeration | The zone that lies between the water table and Earth's surface |
| Capillary Action | Caused by the attraction of water molecules to other materials |
| Perched Water Table | A second water table created above the main water table |
| Recharge Zone | Anywhere that water from the surface can travel through permeable rock to reach an aquifer |
| Well | A hole that is dug to below the level of the water table and through which groundwater is brought to Earth's surface |
| Spring | A natural flow of groundwater to Earth's surface in places where the ground dips below the water table |
| Ordinary Well | A well that penetrates highly permeable sediment and needs to be pumped |
| Cone of Depression | The lowered water table around a well |
| Ordinary Spring | A spring that usually forms in rugged terrain where the ground surface drops below the water table |
| Artesian Formation | A sloping layer of permeable rock sandwiched between two layers of impermeable rock and exposed at the surface |
| Caprock | The top layer of impermeable rock in an artisan formation |
| Artesian Well | A well through which water flows freely without being pumped |
| Artesian Spring | Forms when cracks occur naturally in the caprock of an artesian formation and water from the aquafer flows through the cracks |
| Hot Spring | a thermal spring having water warmer than 37°C |
| Travertine | Steplike terraces of calcite formed around a hot spring |
| Mud Pots | form when chemically weathered rock mixes with hot water to form a sticky, liquid clay that bubbles at the surface |
| Paint Pots | Mud pots where the clay is brightly colored by minerals or organic materials |
| Geysers | Hot springs that periodically erupt from surface pools or through small vents |
| Hard Water | Water that contains relatively high concentrations of dissolved minerals |
| Soft Water | Water that contains relatively low concentrations of dissolved minerals |
| Cavern | A natural cavity that forms in rock as a result of the dissolution of minerals; also a large cave that commonly contains many smaller, connecting chambers |
| Stalactite | A suspended, cone-shaped deposit inside a cave |
| Stalagmite | An upward-pointing cone built of calcite inside a cave |
| Column | A calcite deposit formed when a stalactite and a stalagmite grow together |
| Sinkhole | A circular depression that forms when rock dissolves, when overlying sediment fills an existing cavity, or when the roof of an underground cavern or mine collapses |
| Subsidence Sinkhole | A depression that forms when rock dissolves and overlying sediments settle into cracks in the rock |
| Collapse Sinkhole | A depression that forms when sediment below the surface is removed, an empty space forms within the sediment layer, and the overlying sediments collapse into the empty space below |
| Natural Bridge | The uncollapsed rock between two sinkholes. |
| Karst Topography | A type of irregular topography that is characterized by caverns, sinkholes, and underground drainage and that forms on limestone or other soluble rock |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace