Question 1

A person is digging a hole,when the hole suddenly starts to fill with water.What have they found?

Accepted Answer

A)  the capillary zone 
B)  the vadose zone 
C)  the water table 
D)  an aquitard 
A)  the capillary zone 
B)  the vadose zone 
C)  the water table 
D)  an aquitard C

Question 2

If a material is porous,it ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  will be permeable as well 
B)  will be impermeable 
C)  may be permeable or impermeable 
D)  would not be permeable or impermeable 
A)  will be permeable as well 
B)  will be impermeable 
C)  may be permeable or impermeable 
D)  would not be permeable or impermeable C

Question 3

The images below are of two different geological scenarios in which springs could form.Describe the similarities and differences between these two scenarios.

Accepted Answer

The images both show how impermeable layers can restrict groundwater flow and create springs.However,in image A the fault has juxtaposed permeable,water-bearing layers against impermeable rock,thus forcing the water to the surface along the fault.In image B,water that percolates down from the surface reaches the impermeable layer and must flow along the top surface of the impermeable layer until it seeps out of the hillside in a spring.One situation is tectonically created; the other is due to the stratigraphy itself.

Question 4

You have a choice to drill your water well into a shallower unconfined aquifer or a deeper confined aquifer.Drilling deeper will cost more money; however,you choose to drill into the confined aquifer.Why?

Accepted Answer

A)  The confined aquifer will most likely have a higher water quality. 
B)  The confined aquifer will most likely have a higher permeability. 
C)  The confined aquifer will not be subject to overpumping. 
D)  The confined aquifer will contain more water. 
A)  The confined aquifer will most likely have a higher water quality. 
B)  The confined aquifer will most likely have a higher permeability. 
C)  The confined aquifer will not be subject to overpumping. 
D)  The confined aquifer will contain more water.

Question 5

In the figure below,where would be the best place to locate a well that would supply the most water?

Accepted Answer

A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D 
A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  D

Question 6

Hot springs can be formed by the heating of groundwater by magma or by ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  decompression heating 
B)  infrared heating by the Sun 
C)  the geothermal gradient 
D)  heating by the core 
A)  decompression heating 
B)  infrared heating by the Sun 
C)  the geothermal gradient 
D)  heating by the core

Question 7

Hard water results from relatively high concentrations of dissolved ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  calcium and magnesium 
B)  sodium and lithium 
C)  sodium 
D)  potassium 
A)  calcium and magnesium 
B)  sodium and lithium 
C)  sodium 
D)  potassium

Question 8

For several generations,your family has lived on a farm with a water well.There has never been a problem with the water supply in the past; however,your well has now gone dry.There are several small farms nearby and a large,growing city 50 miles to the north.What can you conclude is the most likely reason for your well to become dry?

Accepted Answer

A)  The farmers nearby have suddenly started using much more water than they used to. 
B)  The growth of minerals in pore spaces in the aquifer rock has decreased its permeability. 
C)  As the city grew larger,more wells were drilled and water was overpumped,thus lowering the water table. 
D)  The water has stopped infiltrating into the ground because of the overuse of pesticides. 
A)  The farmers nearby have suddenly started using much more water than they used to. 
B)  The growth of minerals in pore spaces in the aquifer rock has decreased its permeability. 
C)  As the city grew larger,more wells were drilled and water was overpumped,thus lowering the water table. 
D)  The water has stopped infiltrating into the ground because of the overuse of pesticides.

Question 9

You are testing the groundwater quality of an aquifer and find that it has high amounts of arsenic.What is the likely source?

Accepted Answer

A)  The arsenic comes from the dissolved minerals in the aquifer rock. 
B)  The arsenic comes from the reaction of the water with your testing supplies. 
C)  The arsenic is being poured into the groundwater to poison the town. 
D)  All groundwater contains high amounts of arsenic. 
A)  The arsenic comes from the dissolved minerals in the aquifer rock. 
B)  The arsenic comes from the reaction of the water with your testing supplies. 
C)  The arsenic is being poured into the groundwater to poison the town. 
D)  All groundwater contains high amounts of arsenic.

Question 10

Label the three zones that water moves through as it percolates into the Earth on the image below.Also include where the water table is by marking it with an arrow.

Accepted Answer

Students should label the unsa

Question 11

Which of the following lists 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 12

The majority of caves are formed by the dissolution of bedrock ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  above the water table 
B)  just below the water table 
C)  more than 10 m below the water table 
D)  more than 10 m above the water table 
A)  above the water table 
B)  just below the water table 
C)  more than 10 m below the water table 
D)  more than 10 m above the water table

Question 13

For a well to function properly,it must be drilled below the water table and into a(n)_________.

Accepted Answer

A)  aquifer 
B)  aquitard 
C)  spring 
D)  geyser 
A)  aquifer 
B)  aquitard 
C)  spring 
D)  geyser

Question 14

You have a choice to drill your water well into a shallow unconfined aquifer or a deeper artesian aquifer.Drilling deeper will cost more money; nevertheless,you chose to drill into the artesian aquifer.Why?

Accepted Answer

A)  The artesian aquifer will have a higher permeability. 
B)  The artesian aquifer will not be subject to overpumping. 
C)  The artesian aquifer will flow on its own,without a pump. 
D)  The artesian aquifer will contain more water for your use. 
A)  The artesian aquifer will have a higher permeability. 
B)  The artesian aquifer will not be subject to overpumping. 
C)  The artesian aquifer will flow on its own,without a pump. 
D)  The artesian aquifer will contain more water for your use.

Question 15

If an intrusive igneous rock is unfractured,it serves as a(n)________ in local hydrogeology.

Accepted Answer

A)  aquifer 
B)  aquitard 
C)  artesian well 
D)  perched aquifer 
A)  aquifer 
B)  aquitard 
C)  artesian well 
D)  perched aquifer

Question 16

Consult the figure below.What will eventually happen to the Everglades if the people of Miami and Fort Myers do not stop using the water?

Accepted Answer

A)  It will shift toward Lake Okeechobee. 
B)  It will eventually dry up and disappear. 
C)  It will shift to be closer to Fort Myers. 
D)  It will be replenished by recharge. 
A)  It will shift toward Lake Okeechobee. 
B)  It will eventually dry up and disappear. 
C)  It will shift to be closer to Fort Myers. 
D)  It will be replenished by recharge.

Question 17

An aquifer has ________ porosity and ________ permeability.

Accepted Answer

A)  low; high 
B)  high; low 
C)  low; low 
D)  high; high 
A)  low; high 
B)  high; low 
C)  low; low 
D)  high; high

Question 18

Explain how limestone caves are formed,making sure to include the name of the acids involved and how they form.

Accepted Answer

Caves are formed when carbonic acid or s

Question 19

What does it mean if the potentiometric surface does NOT reach above the ground surface?

Accepted Answer

A)  The aquifer does not have any recharge into it and thus is dry. 
B)  There will not be any artesian wells or springs associated with the aquifer. 
C)  It will not be possible to pull water out of the aquifer from any type of well. 
D)  The aquifer does not have a high enough permeability to produce water. 
A)  The aquifer does not have any recharge into it and thus is dry. 
B)  There will not be any artesian wells or springs associated with the aquifer. 
C)  It will not be possible to pull water out of the aquifer from any type of well. 
D)  The aquifer does not have a high enough permeability to produce water.

Question 20

The elevation of the water table ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  is a constant for a given area so 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 
D)  is completely unpredictable 
A)  is a constant for a given area so 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 
D)  is completely unpredictable

Exam 19: A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

A person is digging a hole,when the hole suddenly starts to fill with water.What have they found?

If a material is porous,it ________.

The images below are of two different geological scenarios in which springs could form.Describe the similarities and differences between these two scenarios.

You have a choice to drill your water well into a shallower unconfined aquifer or a deeper confined aquifer.Drilling deeper will cost more money; however,you choose to drill into the confined aquifer.Why?

In the figure below,where would be the best place to locate a well that would supply the most water?

Hot springs can be formed by the heating of groundwater by magma or by ________.

Hard water results from relatively high concentrations of dissolved ________.

You are testing the groundwater quality of an aquifer and find that it has high amounts of arsenic.What is the likely source?

Label the three zones that water moves through as it percolates into the Earth on the image below.Also include where the water table is by marking it with an arrow.

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

The majority of caves are formed by the dissolution of bedrock ________.

For a well to function properly,it must be drilled below the water table and into a(n)_________.

You have a choice to drill your water well into a shallow unconfined aquifer or a deeper artesian aquifer.Drilling deeper will cost more money; nevertheless,you chose to drill into the artesian aquifer.Why?

If an intrusive igneous rock is unfractured,it serves as a(n)________ in local hydrogeology.

Consult the figure below.What will eventually happen to the Everglades if the people of Miami and Fort Myers do not stop using the water?

An aquifer has ________ porosity and ________ permeability.

Explain how limestone caves are formed,making sure to include the name of the acids involved and how they form.

What does it mean if the potentiometric surface does NOT reach above the ground surface?

The elevation of the water table ________.

Cosmology and the Birth of the Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

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

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of the Earth

Squeezing Power From a Stone: Energy Resources

Riches in Rock: Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

An Envelope of Gas: the Earths Atmosphere and Climate

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Introducing Rocks

a Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

the Rock Cycle in the Earth System

the Earths Interior, Revisited: Seismic Layering, Gravity, and the Magnetic Field

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Ever-Changing Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Prelude: and Just What Is Geology

Filters

An aquifer has porosity and permeability.