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Ch 5-1 Surface Processes & Landscapes

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The Water Cycle Water is continuously moving between the

atmo, the ground, and back into the atmo again (Dynamic Equilibrium)

Be able to explain all the parts & where the water goes (see text book)

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Water Cycle Vocab

Evapotranspiration – all water vapor being released into the atmo (from water & plants)

Runoff – water flowing along the surface Infiltration – water sinking into the ground Ground Water – water found in the ground

between the particles of soil & rocks (es)

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More Water Table Vocab Water Table – the

top of water in the ground (es)

Regolith – ground able to hold on to water

Zone of Aeration – area of regolith that does not have water (es)

Zone of Saturation – region of the ground that contains water (es)

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Ground Water Infiltration

Can only occur if the surface is permeable & unsaturated

The less saturated the regolith, the more infiltration can occur (relationship?)

The steeper the slope, the less the infiltration (relationship?)

Also affected by the particles: their shape , how tightly they are packed & by the way they are sorted

Permeability

Pore spaces between the loose material of the regolith must be interconnected

The larger the size of particles, the more permeable it is (relationship?)

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Porosity Usually presented as a % comparing open

space to total volume Depends on: Shape – rounder has more pore space Packing – tightly packed has lower pore

space Sorting – sorted means they are the same

size Well sorted particles has more pore

space SIZE IS NOT A FACTOR (volleyballs)

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Retained Water Depends on particle size Smaller pieces will add up to

more surface area Capillarity

Water moves upward through small openings

Smaller particles = greater capillarity Normal straw vs. juice box straw

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Runoff Number of factors that determine runoff:

If the ground is saturated (full) Rains faster than it can soak into the

ground Slope is too steep Surface is impermeable Surface is frozen regolith

Plants slow runoff Water goes to streams & eventually the ocean

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Runoff

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Soil Major product of weathering Composed of rocks, minerals & organic

matter Has all 3 states of matter Liquid water allows chemical action Air & gasses provide nutrients & increase

weathering

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Soil Types Soil Types - depend on

their place of origin Residual Soil – formed

from the bedrock beneath it (matches the bedrock)

Transported Soil – formed somewhere else & got moved to a new location (does not match the bedrock)

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Soil Profiles

Soil Profile - develops into layers Each layer has a

different texture, color & composition (see text book)

COW STORY

Soil Conservation Takes a long time to

form topsoil able to support plants/crops

Depletion is when too many nutrients are removed from the soil

Crop rotation helps prevent depletion

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Contour Plowing – planting in rows parallel to the shape of the land

Strip Cropping – planting strips of low growing plants between higher plants

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