Question 1

Why will the sandstone shown in the figure below probably not be permeable?

Accepted Answer

A)  There isn't enough pore space. 
B)  The pore spaces are too small for water to flow through. 
C)  The pore spaces are not connected enough 
D)  Both a and b are correct. 
A)  There isn't enough pore space. 
B)  The pore spaces are too small for water to flow through. 
C)  The pore spaces are not connected enough 
D)  Both a and b are correct. C

Question 2

Hard water results from relatively high concentrations of dissolved ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  calcium and magnesium 
B)  francium and cesium 
C)  sodium 
D)  potassium 
A)  calcium and magnesium 
B)  francium and cesium 
C)  sodium 
D)  potassium A

Question 3

The relationship governing the rate of groundwater flux was discovered by ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  Alfred Wegener 
B)  Isaac Newton 
C)  Henri Darcy 
D)  Charles Richter 
A)  Alfred Wegener 
B)  Isaac Newton 
C)  Henri Darcy 
D)  Charles Richter C

Question 4

A bedrock that has no intergranular porosity,but that has extensive interconnected fractures,____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  is impermeable 
B)  is probably permeable 
C)  has secondary porosity 
D)  Both b and c are correct. 
A)  is impermeable 
B)  is probably permeable 
C)  has secondary porosity 
D)  Both b and c are correct.

Question 5

You find a huge new cave system and discover it has multiple,extensive levels,each about 500 ft below the one above it.What can you infer about the water table in the region?

Accepted Answer

A)  It used to be higher. 
B)  It periodically dropped further and further. 
C)  It lies beneath an aquitard 
D)  Both a and b are correct. 
A)  It used to be higher. 
B)  It periodically dropped further and further. 
C)  It lies beneath an aquitard 
D)  Both a and b are correct.

Question 6

An artesian well is one that ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  discharges groundwater at ground surface without pumping 
B)  has its intake sited within the saturated zone of an unconfined aquifer 
C)  has intake sited within the unsaturated zone of an unconfined aquifer 
D)  has its recharge area at an elevation below sea level 
A)  discharges groundwater at ground surface without pumping 
B)  has its intake sited within the saturated zone of an unconfined aquifer 
C)  has intake sited within the unsaturated zone of an unconfined aquifer 
D)  has its recharge area at an elevation below sea level

Question 7

Which list correctly orders the three types of subsurface water from shallowest to deepest?

Accepted Answer

A)  groundwater, soil moisture, vadose zone water 
B)  soil moisture, groundwater, vadose zone water 
C)  groundwater, vadose zone water, soil moisture 
D)  soil moisture, vadose zone water, groundwater 
A)  groundwater, soil moisture, vadose zone water 
B)  soil moisture, groundwater, vadose zone water 
C)  groundwater, vadose zone water, soil moisture 
D)  soil moisture, vadose zone water, groundwater

Question 8

Groundwater ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  does not affect the porosity of the rock and sediment through which it flows 
B)  uniformly increases porosity due to dissolution of grains 
C)  uniformly decreases porosity due to deposition of minerals into pores 
D)  may increase or decrease porosity through dissolution or deposition 
A)  does not affect the porosity of the rock and sediment through which it flows 
B)  uniformly increases porosity due to dissolution of grains 
C)  uniformly decreases porosity due to deposition of minerals into pores 
D)  may increase or decrease porosity through dissolution or deposition

Question 9

Dissolution of rock produces ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  primary porosity 
B)  primary permeability 
C)  secondary porosity 
D)  a reduction in primary porosity 
A)  primary porosity 
B)  primary permeability 
C)  secondary porosity 
D)  a reduction in primary porosity

Question 10

Sinkholes are a concern primarily for residents whose dwellings are constructed atop ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  sandstone 
B)  shale 
C)  limestone 
D)  granite 
A)  sandstone 
B)  shale 
C)  limestone 
D)  granite

Question 11

Pumping vast quantities of water locally ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  raises the local water table 
B)  lowers the local water table, forming a cone-shaped depression 
C)  lowers the local water table, forming a cylindrical depression 
D)  does not affect the water table 
A)  raises the local water table 
B)  lowers the local water table, forming a cone-shaped depression 
C)  lowers the local water table, forming a cylindrical depression 
D)  does not affect the water table

Question 12

Primary porosity may be reduced by ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  compaction of grains 
B)  cementation of grains 
C)  Both a and b are correct. 
D)  None of the above are correct. 
A)  compaction of grains 
B)  cementation of grains 
C)  Both a and b are correct. 
D)  None of the above are correct.

Question 13

Any place where groundwater naturally flows out of the surface of Earth is termed a ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  flowing artesian well 
B)  geyser 
C)  spring 
D)  recharge area 
A)  flowing artesian well 
B)  geyser 
C)  spring 
D)  recharge area

Question 14

Which statement about recharge areas is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Recharge areas typically are elevated with respect to neighboring areas. 
B)  Recharge areas are regions of relatively high precipitation. 
C)  Recharge areas are the same as discharge areas. 
D)  Recharge areas are areas where water infiltrates the sediment from above. 
A)  Recharge areas typically are elevated with respect to neighboring areas. 
B)  Recharge areas are regions of relatively high precipitation. 
C)  Recharge areas are the same as discharge areas. 
D)  Recharge areas are areas where water infiltrates the sediment from above.

Question 15

Groundwater mining refers to ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  acid drainage from mines polluting groundwater 
B)  legal squabbling over groundwater rights ("It's mine!") 
C)  pumping out water faster than it can be replenished by recharge 
D)  prospecting an area to find a suitable spot for a well 
A)  acid drainage from mines polluting groundwater 
B)  legal squabbling over groundwater rights ("It's mine!") 
C)  pumping out water faster than it can be replenished by recharge 
D)  prospecting an area to find a suitable spot for a well

Question 16

You are in charge of putting in water well for a large farm.Unfortunately,there has been a lot of groundwater pollution in the area since it became industrialized almost 200 years ago.Referring to the figure below,how far down should you install the openings of the well in order to have the best chance of getting uncontaminated water?

Accepted Answer

A)  to A 
B)  to B 
C)  to C 
A)  to A 
B)  to B 
C)  to C

Question 17

The elevation of the water table ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  is a constant for a given area as long as the topography remains the same 
B)  may rise during times of drought and sink during rainy periods 
C)  may rise during rainy periods and sink during droughts 
A)  is a constant for a given area as long as the topography remains the same 
B)  may rise during times of drought and sink during rainy periods 
C)  may rise during rainy periods and sink during droughts

Question 18

If a material is porous,it ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  will be permeable as well 
B)  will be impermeable 
C)  may be permeable or impermeable 
A)  will be permeable as well 
B)  will be impermeable 
C)  may be permeable or impermeable

Question 19

You operate a geothermal power plant here.After several years,the wells that have produced hot water and steam are beginning to run dry.If you want to install injection wells (wells that you can pump water into),so that you could recharge the groundwater circulation system and preserve the flow of hot water to your production well,where would you drill them? (Note: Lines are red (dark grey)at the end with the arrowhead and blue (light grey)nearer the ends without arrowheads.)

Accepted Answer

A)  by the blue arrows 
B)  by the red arrows 
C)  in between the blue and red arrows 
D)  at both the blue and red arrows 
A)  by the blue arrows 
B)  by the red arrows 
C)  in between the blue and red arrows 
D)  at both the blue and red arrows

Question 20

Venice,Italy,has largely subsided beneath sea-level because of ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  polar ice caps melting due to global warming 
B)  extensive nearby groundwater mining and sediment compaction 
C)  tectonic forces related to the gradual, ongoing collision of Africa and Europe 
D)  None of the above are correct; Venice was built underwater during the Middle Ages. 
A)  polar ice caps melting due to global warming 
B)  extensive nearby groundwater mining and sediment compaction 
C)  tectonic forces related to the gradual, ongoing collision of Africa and Europe 
D)  None of the above are correct; Venice was built underwater during the Middle Ages.

Exam 16: A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Why will the sandstone shown in the figure below probably not be permeable?

Hard water results from relatively high concentrations of dissolved ____________.

The relationship governing the rate of groundwater flux was discovered by ____________.

A bedrock that has no intergranular porosity,but that has extensive interconnected fractures,____________.

You find a huge new cave system and discover it has multiple,extensive levels,each about 500 ft below the one above it.What can you infer about the water table in the region?

An artesian well is one that ____________.

Which list correctly orders the three types of subsurface water from shallowest to deepest?

Groundwater ____________.

Dissolution of rock produces ____________.

Sinkholes are a concern primarily for residents whose dwellings are constructed atop ____________.

Pumping vast quantities of water locally ____________.

Primary porosity may be reduced by ____________.

Any place where groundwater naturally flows out of the surface of Earth is termed a ____________.

Which statement about recharge areas is NOT true?

Groundwater mining refers to ____________.

The elevation of the water table ____________.

If a material is porous,it ____________.

Venice,Italy,has largely subsided beneath sea-level because of ____________.

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Crags, cracks, and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Rock Groups

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

The Rock Cycle

The Earths Interior Revisited: Insights From Geophysics

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

An Introduction to Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

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