Apex Earth Science 1.2

alluvial fan

a cone- or fan-shaped deposit of sediment formed where a fast-flowing mountain stream empties onto a relatively flat plain.

alluvium

Filled with fertile sediment

Zone of Aeration

Underground layer containing empty spaces filled with air and spaces filled with water. This layer is made of soil and rocks.

Water Table

The boundary between the zone of aeration and saturation. The ground goes from being only partially saturated since there is air in the spaces between the rocks.

Zone of Saturation

An underground layer whose empty spaces are filled with water.

Aquifier

A water source, where the zone of saturation has enough water in it for people living above the ground to use it.

Infiltration

The movement of water from the surface downward through different layers.

Impermeable rock

Below the impermeable rock has no empty spaces, and water cannot seep in. This forces the water to turn sideways and make its way to the nearest ocean.

Porosity

The number of spaces in the soil. The more space, the more water it can pull underground.

Permeability

The ability of soil to let water through. It depends on the size of the grains in the soil.

Capillary action

Upward movement of water in porous areas slows the downward movement of water.

Factors Affecting Infiltration (soil properties)

Gravity, Porosity, Capillary Action, and Permeability

Geysers

When water heats up and turns to steam. The steam needs to escape. When there is a crack in the earth, the steam builds up until it bursts upwards with a blast of water.

Hot Spring

When there isn't much pressure underground, the water bubbles as a hot spring.

Formation of Lakes

They form when depressions in the ground are filled with water from rivers, springs, or from precipitation

Littoral Zone

The shallow zone close to the shore, which is also the part that gets a lot of sunlight. Plankton grow here

limnetic

where tiny animals and plants called plankton live,

Profundal

where very little sunlight reaches and animals must live off of scraps from above,

Benthic

the layer of sediment at the bottom, and crustaceans live here

Formation of a Marsh

When algae build up on the surface of the lake, they can choke off the light supply to organisms living below. As the algae die, small microorganisms feed of the dead algae. These microorganisms can deplete the supply of oxygen. As the animals and plants die and decay, the lake becomes shallower until it becomes a marsh.

Difference between a marsh and a swamp

Marshes and swamps are both wetlands. Marshes contain soft-stemmed plants, while swamps have trees and bushe

Young Rivers

travels fast, has few tributaries, and carries large objects

Mature River

travels slower, has many tributaries, and can carry medium-sized objects.

Old Rivers

travels very slowly, has few tributaries, and carries small objects. They tend to have a lot of meandering, which forms into oxbow lakes.

Where does the river end up?

The place where a river branches off into an ocean or other body of water is called the delta.

Flood plain

The area lying next to a river that becomes more fertile when the river floods.

Watersheds

An area of water where precipitation runoff, streams, and rivers meet at one point. This also filters out pollutants and is mainly used for cities.

How does groundwater move down.

Through the soil, the zone of aeration, the water table, and into the zone of saturation. At the very bottom is impermeable rock.

What raises and lowers the water table?

Rain causes the water table to be raised, while heat from the sun evaporates the water and lowers the water table also pumping water out from the aquifier.

wetlands

Wet, saturated land covered with water at least for parts of a year.

Headwater

A water source for a river can be a lake, spring, or the runoff from rain or snowmelt.