GEO 155 Groundwater and Fluvial Movements Past Paper
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Grant Horlic
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This document contains a past paper for GEO 155 Groundwater and Fluvial Movements. It includes questions about groundwater movement, subsidence, the High Plains Aquifer, drainage systems, and glacial landforms such as cirques, moraines, and tarns. The answers and important factors/terms are all in a Q&A format.
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# GEO 155 Groundwater and Fluvial movements ## 1. Groundwater movement **Discuss the questions and note down the important terms for each topic.** **What factors influence the movement of groundwater through an aquifer, and how does this impact water availability?** - Gravity (causes water to g...
# GEO 155 Groundwater and Fluvial movements ## 1. Groundwater movement **Discuss the questions and note down the important terms for each topic.** **What factors influence the movement of groundwater through an aquifer, and how does this impact water availability?** - Gravity (causes water to go down) - Porosity of the rock - Storage - Permeability - The ability of water moving through a material - Saturated zone / Unsaturated zone - Water table - Aquifer ## 2. Subsidence **How does excessive groundwater extraction lead to subsidence, and what are the potential consequences of this phenomenon?** - Excessive removal - Subsidence (gradual sinking of the Earth's surface) - Land slides - Flooding ## 3. High Plains Aquifer **Why is the High Plains Aquifer, also known as the Ogallala Aquifer, significant, and what challenges does it face due to human activity?** - Largest in the USA - 8 States - Importance - Agriculture - Domestic use - Challenge - Excessive pumping - Water levels gone down is a risk ## 4. Drainage System **Order the streams in this drainage basin and discuss what determines the density of a drainage system.** | Stream order | Number of streams| |---|---| | 1 | 16 | | 2 | 5 | | 3 | 2 | | 4 | 1 | ## 5. Glacial Landforms: Cirque, Moraine, and Tarn ### 5.1. Tarn **How is a tarn created within a glacial landscape?** - Tarns are formed when glaciers melt and leave behind depressions that form in cirques. - Filled with water. **What role does a tarn play in local ecosystems?** - Tarns support diverse ecosystems by providing a fresh water habitat and affecting local vegetative growth. **Provide an example of a tarn and its location.** - Example: Llyn Idwal, Snowdonia National Park, Wales. ### 5.2 Cirque **Describe how a cirque is formed.** - When a glacier erodes a bowl-shaped depression on a mountainside, through plucking (ice freezing on rock then breaking apart). **What environmental significance does a cirque have in its ecosystem?** - Important because the accumulation of snow is often sources of freshwater in mountains. **Identify a well-known cirque and provide its location.** - Cirque de Gavarnie - Pyrenees, France ### 5.3 Moraine **Explain the formation process of a moraine.** - The process of a moraine is when glaciers push, dump, or squeeze loose rock material, and when glacial ice melts. **What does the presence of a moraine indicate about a region's glacial history?** - The presence of a moraine indicates that the region was once covered by glaciers. **Give an example of a moraine and its location.** - Kettle Moraine - Wisconsin.
