| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Groundwater | ________ is water contained in the open spaces, or pores, of soil and rock. |
| groundwater | Almost everyone who lives in rural areas uses ________ for drinking and other household uses. |
| pores | Groundwater flows through a series of interconnected ________ in soil and rock. |
| pores | The ________ in soils are the spaces between the fragments and pieces of rock. |
| groundwater | Rocks such as sandstone and loose deposits of sand and gravel can hold large amounts of ________. |
| porosity | The volume of pore space divided by the volume of a rock or soil sample is its ________. |
| high | Soil or rock with many large pores has a ________ porosity. |
| low | Soil or rock with few small pores has a ________ porosity. |
| permeability | The ability of rock and soil to transmit water and other fluids is called ________. |
| pores | Rock that is permeable contains many well connected ________ or cracks and allows groundwater to flow through it. |
| cracks | Limestone is permeable when it has many interconnected ________. |
| impermeable | Rocks, such as shale or granite, has few pores or pores that are not well connected. This type of rock is called ________ rock. |
| impermeable | Groundwater cannot pass through ________ rock. |
| aquifer | An ________ is a layer of permeable rock through which water flows freely. |
| storage | Aquifers act as reservoirs, or ________ areas, for groundwater. |
| good | Sand, gravel, sandstone, porous limestone, and highly fractured bedrock of any type can make ________ aquifers. |
| poor | Shale, mudstone, clay, or other impermeable rocks or sediments that don't contain fractures make ________ aquifers. |
| Watersheds | ________ are large regions drained by a particular river system. |
| aeration | The upper part of an aquifer is called the zone of ________. |
| saturation | The lower part of an aquifer is called the zone of ________. |
| aeration | In the zone of ________ the pores are partially filled with water and partially filled with air. |
| saturation | In the zone of ________ that pores are completely filled with water. |
| water table | The top surface of the zone of saturation is called the ________ ________. |
| rises | During heavy rainfall the water table ________ towards Earth's surface. |
| falls | During a drought, the water table ________ lower below Earth's surface. |
| permeability | How fast groundwater moves depends on the ________ of the rock or soil that it flows through and the groundwater's pressure. |
| faster | Where permeability is high groundwater speed is ________. |
| slower | Where permeability is low groundwater speed is ________. |
| spring | A ________ occurs where groundwater flows out freely onto Earth's surface. |
| spring | Where the water table meets Earth's surface, water seeps out for form a ________. |
| wells | Where springs do not occur ________ must be dug or drilled to obtain water. |
| saturation | The hole, or shaft, for a water well must be drilled into the zone of ________. |
| electric | Today most water wells have ________ powered pumps. |
| Artesian springs | ________ ________ occur where water comes out of the ground due to high pressures underground. |
| Artesian wells | ________ ________ occur when water flows out of a well due to high pressures underground without the water having to be pumped out. |
| Ogallala Aquifer | The largest aquifer in the United States is called the ________ ________. |
| geyser | A ________ is a hot fountain that erupts periodically, shooting water and steam into the air. |
| Pollution | ________ is the contamination of soil, water, air, or other parts of the environment by something harmful. |
| Salt | ________ used to melt ice and snow on roads can seep into groundwater. |
| Toxic | ________ substances from mines and industries can dissolve in rainwater or melted snow and seep into groundwater. |
| sewer | In cities, ________ lines can break or leak and then seep into groundwater. |
| bacteria | Some septic systems contaminate groundwater with harmful ________. |
| Fertilizers | ________ and other chemicals used on cropland wash into the soil when it rains and eventually enter groundwater. |
| feedlots | Animals wastes from ________ and farms can pollute groundwater. |
| farms | Animal wastes from feedlots and ________ can pollute groundwater. |
| Gasoline | ________ and other toxic chemicals oozing from underground storage tanks can poison ground water supplies. |
| sanitary landfill | In a ________ ________, there is a lining of plastic or concrete, or the landfill is located in clay-rich soils that trap the liquid waste. |
| runoff | Another source of groundwater pollution is ________ from roadways and parking lots. |
| cleanup | It is very hard to ________ groundwater when it becomes polluted. |
| prevent | In many ways, it's easier to ________ groundwater pollution than it is to clean it up. |
| remove | The first step in cleaning groundwater is to ________ the source of the pollution. |
| Superfund | In 1980, Congress established a program called ________ to eliminate the worst hazardous waste sites in the United States. |
| Bioremediation | ________ is a process that uses living organisms to remove pollutants from groundwater. |
| shortage | A groundwater ________ can occur when the amount of water removed from the aquifer is greater than the amount of water flowing into the aquifer. |
| Subsidence | ________ occurs when water no longer fills the pores in an aquifer and the land sinks as a result. |
| Saltwater | ________ intrusion occurs when seawater seeps into the aquifer and contaminates water wells. |
| cave | A ________ is an underground chamber that opens to the surface. |
| system | A cave ________ is a place where many caves are connected by passages. |
| Carlsbad Caverns | ________ ________ and Mammoth Cave are two very famous cave systems in the United States. |
| Mammoth Cave | Carlsbad Caverns and ________ ________ are two very famous cave systems in the United States. |
| acidic | Caves form because groundwater is slightly ________. |
| dripstone | Inside of caves ________ is formed as water drips from the ceiling of the cave and then evaporates leaving behind deposits of calcium carbonate. |
| draperies | When water drips from the ceiling of a cave it can create long, wavy shapes called ________. |
| Stalactites | ________ are dripstone deposits that hang down from the ceilings of caves. |
| Stalagmites | ________ form where mineral rich water drips to the floor and build up toward the ceiling of a cave. |
| Columns | ________ are created where stalactites and stalagmites join together. |
| sinkhole | A ________ occurs when so much rock dissolves that the roof of a cave collapses leaving behind a huge depression in the Earth's surface. |
| Sinkholes | ________ also occur when so much groundwater is pumped out that the water table drops and flooded caves become dry. |
| Disappearing | ________ streams occur where water flows along the surface of the Earth and then suddenly disappear below its surface. |
| karst | A ________ area is one in which you can find caves, sinkholes, and disappearing streams. |
| Groundwater | ________ is one of Earth's most important resources. |
| Sinkhole | In picture "A" what type of karst feature do you see? |
| Stalactite | In picture "B" what cave feature is number "1" ? |
| Stalagmite | In picture "B" what cave feature is number "2" ? |
| Geyser | In picture "C" what do you see? |
| Draperies | In picture "D" what cave feature do you see above the girl? |
| Zone of Aeration | In your groundwater picture what is "Zone A" ? |
| Zone of Saturation | In your groundwater picture what is "Zone B" ? |
| Water Table | In your groundwater picture what is the black line between "Zone A" and "Zone B" ? |
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