Your Name ___________________________Period ______ Date __________
Chapter 16 Earth Science Word Study Groundwater
Directions: Study the following words by reading and rereading them each
evening so you will be prepared for the word study test each week. You may
use one index card to write as many words and definitions on as possible to use
for the test. The card must written in ink, be in your handwriting, and have
your name, period, and chapter recorded in the top, right corner with no
obvious erasures or mark outs. If all the criteria are met, you may use your
index card during the test. It will then be stapled to your test.
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
groundwater – the fresh water that is beneath the Earth’s surface held
in aquifers
aquifer – a body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and
allows the flow of groundwater
porosity – a measure of the empty spaces in a material or the
percentage of the total volume of a rock or sediment that consists of
open space
permeability – the rate of flow of a liquid or gas through a porous
material or the ease with which a material flows through another
material (porous – the ability of permitting the movement of fluids or
gases through a material by way of pores or other passages)
zone of saturation – the layer of an aquifer in which the pore space is
completely filled with water; it is the lower of the two zones of
groundwater
6.) zone of aeration – the zone between the water table and Earth’s
surface and has three regions; the uppermost region holds soil
moisture, the middle region is dry except when it rains, and the bottom
region, called capillary action, is also moist which attracts water
molecules and pulls them up
7.) recharge zone – anywhere that water from the surface can travel
through permeable rock to reach an aquifer; these regions are very
sensitive because pollution in the recharge zone can enter the aquifer
where our groundwater is
8.) artesian formation – a sloping layer of permeable rock that is
sandwiched between two layers of impermeable rock with the
permeable rock being the aquifer causing intense water pressure
through which water will flow out of without being pumped when a
hole is drilled
9.) hot springs – groundwater heated by magma that rises to the surface
before it cools; the water must be 37o Celsius or about 98o Fahrenheit
10.) geysers – hot springs that periodically erupt from surface pools or
through small vents caused from boiling water producing steam that
pushes the water above it to the surface
11.) water table – the upper surface of underground water and the upper
boundary of the zone of saturation
12.) soft water – water with relatively low amounts of dissolved minerals
13.) hard water – water with relatively high amounts of dissolved minerals
such as calcium, magnesium, and iron
14.) cavern – a large cave that may consist of many smaller connecting
chambers
15.) stalactites – a calcite buildup that forms a suspended, cone-shaped
deposit on the ceiling of a cavern
16.) stalagmites – an upward pointing cone of calcite formed from calcite
droplets in a cavern
17.) sinkhole – a circular depression that forms at the surface when rock
dissolves in the ground, when sediment is removed, or when caves,
mines, or old pipes collapse
18.) 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