Chapter10: Groundwater

The depth of the water table below the surface of land __________.

• is deep below a lake or river
• is above the surface of a swamp
• is always found at a depth of 3 m
• varies depending on local conditions
  

Soil can hold water because of its __________.

• porosity
• poorly sorted material
• well-sorted material
• permeability
  

What can be said about the two figures shown?

• Sample B has greater permeability.
• Sample B holds the most groundwater.
• Sample A has greater porosity.
• Sample A is poorly sorted.
  

If you were going to make a pond in your backyard, which material would you choose to line the bottom?

• a mixture of sand, silt, and clay
• sand
• silt
• clay
  

What type of rock has the lowest permeability?

• shale
• highly fractured rock
• limestone
• sandstone
  

How are caves formed?

• uplift of limestone rocks
• dissolution and precipitation of limestone
• porosity of sandstone and limestone
• permeability of water through fine-grained materials
  

What is water called when it has a high concentration of iron, magnesium, or calcium?

• groundwater
• soft
• hard
• a lake
  

What is a characteristic of karst topography?

• sinking streams
• caves
• sinkholes
• all of these
  

When does water deposit calcium carbonate?

• when it loses carbon dioxide or evaporates
• when it is in the zone of saturation
• when water mixes with carbon dioxide
• when it is supersaturated with travertine
  

Groundwater deposits, or dripstones, that form on the floor of a cave are called _____.

• stalactites
• stalagmites
• sinkholes
• karsts