CLEMSON GEOLOGY 1010 EXAM 4 QUESTIONS
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS 2025
Groundwater: why should we care? - CORRECT ANSWER -
YOU MUST have this resource to survive
hydrologic cycle - CORRECT ANSWER -ocean = biggest reservoir (1,000,000 units)
2nd largest = glacier (26000 units)
3rd largestE= ground water (15000 units)
runoff - CORRECT ANSWER -
water that runs across the landscape and eventually ends up in a river or stream and continuesEt
o move downstream
infiltration - CORRECT ANSWER -water soaks INTO ground, becomes part of ground water supply
porosity - CORRECT ANSWER -
The percentage of the total volume of a rock or sediment that consists of open spaces
Types of pores - CORRECT ANSWER -Intergranular Pores
Fractures
Vugs
Intergranular Pores - CORRECT ANSWER -"between grains"
open spaces in between particles
-MOST groundwater is stored here
Fractures - CORRECT ANSWER -
rocks have lots of cracks, they can be pathways for water or water can build up in them
,vugs - CORRECT ANSWER -opening in the rock, like a big hole
-*caves are basically big vugs*
-not very common
Well sorted = - CORRECT ANSWER -high porosity
poorly sorted = - CORRECT ANSWER -low porosity
cementation - CORRECT ANSWER -
natural cement to glue the particles together, filling in all the little cracks
-more cement = less porosity
permeability - CORRECT ANSWER -
whether or not the material lets water through, how easy water will flow through material
Water Table - CORRECT ANSWER -the level where you go from saturated to unsaturated
Aquifer - CORRECT ANSWER -any layer of material that contains a usable water supply
-below the water table
-recover for human use via wells
types of aquifers - CORRECT ANSWER -unconfined
confined
perched
,unconfined - CORRECT ANSWER -
there is nothing above your aquifer that is goingEto restrict the water
aquitard - CORRECT ANSWER -confining layer below the unconfined aquifer, very impermeable
confined - CORRECT ANSWER -
aquitard above and below ("sandwiched"), makes it complicated bc water cant soak down into a
quifer to replenish
artesian well - CORRECT ANSWER -
the idea that the water pressure in the confined aquifer will push the water up for you
-you need the water table to be shoved up into a hillside/elevated --> creates a ton of pressure
Perched - CORRECT ANSWER -smaller ones that develop in a hillside
-impervious layer halfway down the hill, so water gets stuck on top
-relatively small, pretty advantageous bc it gives you a second water source
Recharge - CORRECT ANSWER -how much water flows back into the aquifer
Discharge - CORRECT ANSWER -how much water flows out of the aquifer, pumping or flowing
if recharge > discharge - CORRECT ANSWER -water table rises
overdrafting - CORRECT ANSWER -losing water supply, taking out a lot, not enough back in
if recharge < discharge - CORRECT ANSWER -overdrafting
, cone of depression - CORRECT ANSWER -
depressing level of water table around the well due to fast pumping
-when the tip of the cone gets below the well, it won't work anymore
-pumping at a slower rate will fix this issue
subsidence -ECORRECT ANSWER -
groundsinking above aquifer, sediments trickle down into pore space, blocks water
-
almost impossible to reverse the problem bc porosity is gone and water can no longer infiltrate t
he well
salinity contamination - CORRECT ANSWER -salt water contamination in aquifer
-the more you pump from the aquifer, the more salt can get in
desalinization - CORRECT ANSWER -
process for sucking salt back out of water, treating it, and then filtering (COSTLY!!!)
Ground water movement - CORRECT ANSWER -
typically moves very slowly (sometimes measure in cm per day)
-good: water doesn't rapidly flow away from your well
bad: if contaminated, it'll be there for a while
groundwater carries dissolved substances - CORRECT ANSWER -CO2 and SO2
-these dissolve carbonate rocks
-causes a lot of sink holes
WITH CORRECT ANSWERS 2025
Groundwater: why should we care? - CORRECT ANSWER -
YOU MUST have this resource to survive
hydrologic cycle - CORRECT ANSWER -ocean = biggest reservoir (1,000,000 units)
2nd largest = glacier (26000 units)
3rd largestE= ground water (15000 units)
runoff - CORRECT ANSWER -
water that runs across the landscape and eventually ends up in a river or stream and continuesEt
o move downstream
infiltration - CORRECT ANSWER -water soaks INTO ground, becomes part of ground water supply
porosity - CORRECT ANSWER -
The percentage of the total volume of a rock or sediment that consists of open spaces
Types of pores - CORRECT ANSWER -Intergranular Pores
Fractures
Vugs
Intergranular Pores - CORRECT ANSWER -"between grains"
open spaces in between particles
-MOST groundwater is stored here
Fractures - CORRECT ANSWER -
rocks have lots of cracks, they can be pathways for water or water can build up in them
,vugs - CORRECT ANSWER -opening in the rock, like a big hole
-*caves are basically big vugs*
-not very common
Well sorted = - CORRECT ANSWER -high porosity
poorly sorted = - CORRECT ANSWER -low porosity
cementation - CORRECT ANSWER -
natural cement to glue the particles together, filling in all the little cracks
-more cement = less porosity
permeability - CORRECT ANSWER -
whether or not the material lets water through, how easy water will flow through material
Water Table - CORRECT ANSWER -the level where you go from saturated to unsaturated
Aquifer - CORRECT ANSWER -any layer of material that contains a usable water supply
-below the water table
-recover for human use via wells
types of aquifers - CORRECT ANSWER -unconfined
confined
perched
,unconfined - CORRECT ANSWER -
there is nothing above your aquifer that is goingEto restrict the water
aquitard - CORRECT ANSWER -confining layer below the unconfined aquifer, very impermeable
confined - CORRECT ANSWER -
aquitard above and below ("sandwiched"), makes it complicated bc water cant soak down into a
quifer to replenish
artesian well - CORRECT ANSWER -
the idea that the water pressure in the confined aquifer will push the water up for you
-you need the water table to be shoved up into a hillside/elevated --> creates a ton of pressure
Perched - CORRECT ANSWER -smaller ones that develop in a hillside
-impervious layer halfway down the hill, so water gets stuck on top
-relatively small, pretty advantageous bc it gives you a second water source
Recharge - CORRECT ANSWER -how much water flows back into the aquifer
Discharge - CORRECT ANSWER -how much water flows out of the aquifer, pumping or flowing
if recharge > discharge - CORRECT ANSWER -water table rises
overdrafting - CORRECT ANSWER -losing water supply, taking out a lot, not enough back in
if recharge < discharge - CORRECT ANSWER -overdrafting
, cone of depression - CORRECT ANSWER -
depressing level of water table around the well due to fast pumping
-when the tip of the cone gets below the well, it won't work anymore
-pumping at a slower rate will fix this issue
subsidence -ECORRECT ANSWER -
groundsinking above aquifer, sediments trickle down into pore space, blocks water
-
almost impossible to reverse the problem bc porosity is gone and water can no longer infiltrate t
he well
salinity contamination - CORRECT ANSWER -salt water contamination in aquifer
-the more you pump from the aquifer, the more salt can get in
desalinization - CORRECT ANSWER -
process for sucking salt back out of water, treating it, and then filtering (COSTLY!!!)
Ground water movement - CORRECT ANSWER -
typically moves very slowly (sometimes measure in cm per day)
-good: water doesn't rapidly flow away from your well
bad: if contaminated, it'll be there for a while
groundwater carries dissolved substances - CORRECT ANSWER -CO2 and SO2
-these dissolve carbonate rocks
-causes a lot of sink holes
