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GEOL 305
Test 2
48
Geology
Undergraduate 3
04/01/2009

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Cards

Term
Sediment deposition is greatest in...
Definition
rivers and streams
Term
There has been a ___ in sediment deposition on ____.
Definition
Decrease in sediment deposition on coastlines.
Term
Why has sediment deposition on coastlines decreased?
Definition
Most sediment is trapped before it reaches the coast, usually because of dams.
Term
What problems might be caused by decreased sediment deposition on coastlines?
Definition
Erosion of coastlines.
Term
Inputs of beach budgets:
Definition
sediment deposition from oceans, sediment deposition from streams, mass wasting from nearby cliffs
Term
Outputs of beach budgets:
Definition
sediment loss to oceans, wind, longshore drift.
Term
Wave motion is caused by...
Definition
friction between air and water
Term
When depth to ocean bottom is ____ the wavelength, the wave will ___.
Definition
less than half the wavelength, the wave will break.
Term
The greater the angle the at which the waves hit the coastline, ____
Definition
the greater the sediment displacement.
Term
U.S. East Coast beaches:
Definition
low elevation, gradual slope, no tectonic activity. Even small changes in sea level can be catastrophic.
Term
U.S. West Coast beaches:
Definition
cliffsides, tectonic activity present, changes in sea elevation kept in check
Term
The saturated zone is also called:
Definition
the water table
Term
In the saturated zone, all ___.
Definition
all pore spaces between soil particles are filled with water.
Term
Aquifer:
Definition
body of underground material that stores and transmits water.
Term
In the saturated zone, water flows...
Definition
according to differences in pressure.
Term
Water will flow from ____ to ____.
Definition
flow from high potential energy to low potential energy.
Term
factor of safety =
Definition
shear strength over shear stress
Term
p =
Definition
density
Term
C =
Definition
cohesion
Term
W =
Definition
height of water table
Term
theta =
Definition
angle of slope
Term
phi =
Definition
internal angle of friction
Term
Equation of factpr of safety:
Definition
C + (pgHcostheta - p(w)gW)tanphi / pgHsintheta
Term
hydraulic gradient =
Definition
difference in water table elevation / distance between the two sample points
Term
Downstream of dam construction, we see:
Definition
beach erosion, elimination of point bars, increase in invasive species
Term
Water behind dams is often...
Definition
choked with sediment
Term
Controlled floods attempt to
Definition
build new beaches, flush out stream sediments
Term
Controlled floods fail to meet their goals because:
Definition
these occasional floods can't reach the levels of sediment deposition of pre-dam continual flows.
Term
Water pollution can be:
Definition
physical, biological, chemical
Term
Physical water pollution includes:
Definition
thermal changes, sediment deposition
Term
Chemical water pollution includes:
Definition
fertilizers, radioactive waste, heavy metals
Term
Biological water pollution includes:
Definition
pathogens (usually in the form of human waste, fecal coliforms), organic matter from algae blooms
Term
Eutrophication:
Definition
excessive nutrients in a body of water
Term
Anoxia:
Definition
lack of oxygen in a body of water, usually due to mass decay of organic matter after eutrophication
Term
Waste management techniques, from earliest to most recent:
Definition
dilute and disperse, concentrate and contain, resource recovery
Term
Integrated waste management:
Definition
limit amount of raw material that can be extracted to promote recycling
Term
The integrated waste management system is based on...
Definition
the system of the climax forest, which can get virtually all its nutrients from recycling, or reabsorption.
Term
Can hazardous wastes be diluted?
Definition
No; usually levels of solvent needed are far too high to neutralize the waste
Term
Storage complications involved with radioactive waste:
Definition
waste is very hot, climate of storage site might shift to unfavorable before waste has decomposed
Term
Pros of the Yucca Mountain storage area:
Definition
internally drained, dry, insoluble rock, remote, already contaminated
Term
Cons of Yucca Mountain storage area:
Definition
land is rifting (some geological activity), fairly recent basalt flows, water vapor in tuff could be vaporized, cracks in tuff do occur
Term
Iodine: Southern US is ___, Northern US is ___.
Definition
Southern US is iodine-rich, Northern US is iodine-poor.
Term
Ionizing radiation:
Definition
caused by electromagnetic waves or subatomic particles with enough energy to strip electrons from their atoms
Term
Natural radioactivity emitted from
Definition
uranium, thorium, potassium isotopes, cosmic rays
Term
Greatest radiation exposure comes from ___
Definition
radon
Term
Beta decay
Definition
Atom has more neutrons than protons, and so a neutron splits into a proton and an electron. The electron is ejected. Net gain of proton.
Term
Alpha decay
Definition
Atom is unstable because it is too large. Reduces mass by ejecting an alpha particle (one proton and one neutron).
Term
Electron capture
Definition
Atom sucks an electron from the electron cloud into the nucleus. Electron fuses with a proton to produce a neutron. Net loss of proton.
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