Chapter 14 Quiz - Groundwater question n answers graded A+

Chapter 14 Quiz - GroundwaterAn unconfined water table is the ________. - correct answer boundary between the unsaturated zone above and saturated zone below In areas with humid climate, the water table of an unconfined aquifer generally slopes downward towards stream valleys. - correct answer true In areas underlain by unconsolidated or weakly consolidated strata, lowering of the water table can cause the land to subside. - correct answer true Which of the following geologic materials would have the highest groundwater velocities and be least effective in removing unwanted pollutants from the water? - correct answer limestone; numerous solution channels and fractures widened by dissolution ________ is the percentage of a rock or unconsolidated sediment that consists of empty space. - correct answer porosity The most useful aquifers for obtaining abundant groundwater possess _____. - correct answer high porosity and high permeability The water table is a surface separating the saturated and unsaturated zones. - correct answer true ________ describes the ease of fluid transmission through rock. - correct answer permeability The unsaturated zone of an aquifer ________. - correct answer lies above the water table Water-saturated muds have low permeabilities but can have greater porosities than well-cemented sandstone. - correct answer true An aquifer is ________. - correct answer a permeable rock unit that possesses a saturated zone Which of the following best describes how geysers erupt? - correct answer with a slight reduction in pressure, water in a saturated, natural conduit suddenly boils, sending a plume of steam and hot water into the air above the vent Which of the following describes the configuration of an unconfined water table around a pumping well? - correct answer cone of depression An artesian well is one in which ________. - correct answer water rises above the top of the aquifer without any pumping Which of the following can possibly contaminate an aquifer? - correct answer pesticides. industrial chemicals. sewage. Excessive groundwater withdrawals can cause ________. - correct answer the water table to fall In general, contaminated groundwater will be naturally cleaned faster by circulation through porous and permeable sands than by circulation through fractured, crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks. - correct answer true A ________ is the icicle-like speleothem that grows down from the roof of a cavern. - correct answer stalactite