Assignment 12: The Geologic Work of Groundwater
- Due Nov 23, 2021 at 11:59pm
- Points 65
- Questions 28
- Time Limit None
- Allowed Attempts 2
Instructions
Introduction
Groundwater is water that moves through soil and rocks below the Earth's surface. When groundwater moves through the soil, the structure of the soil affects its movement. The three particles that determine soil structure are sand, silt, and clay. Sand particles can be seen with the naked eye and range in width from 0.05 to 2.00 mm. A microscope must be used to see silt particles, which are between 0.002 and 0.05 mm in width. An electron microscope is required to clay particles, which are less than 0.002 mm wide.
Soil type depends on how much of each kind of particle makes up the soil. There are 13 types of soil. Groundwater moves through the spaces between soil particles. These spaces are called pores. Not all soils have the same amount of pore space. Porosity depends on the number and size of pores in soil. You can find the volume of pore space in soil by determining the volume of water its pores are capable of holding. The volume of pore space divided by the volume of a soil sample determines its porosity. This measurement is given as a percentage of the volume of the soil.
The pores in soil are all connected, allowing water to pass through them. This means that soil is permeable. The ease with which water moves through the soil is called permeability. A soil with high porosity and many small pores can hold a lot of water, but it takes longer for the water to enter all the pores. This means that when the soil has higher porosity it has lower permeability.
Directions:
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