Chapter 9: Water Erosion & Deposition
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Transcript Chapter 9: Water Erosion & Deposition
Runoff is water that doesn’t soak into the
ground or evaporate, but flows across
earth’s surface
Factors that affect runoff
1. Amount of rain
2. Length of time
Light rain over an hour has time to soak
up
Heavy rain over less than an hour will
run off because it can’t soak into the
ground fast enough
3.
4.
Slope of land
Gravity causes water to move down slope
Water moves quickly down steeper slopes
Water moves slowly down gentler slopes
Slower movement=water soaked up by
ground
Vegetation
Plants slow down runoff and help prevent
soil from being carried away
Runoff will carry more soil and sediments
in places lacking vegetation
Streams are parts of river systems
Can compare to a tree
Water comes from rills, gullies and small streams
Drainage basin is the area of land from which a
stream or river collects runoff
All the water in a river system flows to the trunk
(main river)
Stages depend on the slope of the
ground over which the stream flows
3 classifications:
1. Young
2. Mature
3. Old
The stages of development do not
always coincide with the actual age of
the river
Flows swiftly
Slope is steep
Has a rough bottom
High level of energy
Erodes bottom of stream faster than its
side
Flows smoothly through its valley
Rocks in the streambed over time are
eroded by running water and sediments
Erosion takes place more on the sides
than the bottom
This causes curves to develop called
meanders
Flow through broad, flat floodplains
Drops load of silt near its mouth
Dropping of sediments forms a delta
A delta is an area of flat, fertile land
extending into the ocean
As water moves through a river system it
loses energy
This lose of energy causes sediments to
be dropped along the way
Some sediments are carried a long way,
while others only short distances
When sediments are deposited as the
water empties into an ocean or lake, a
deposit called a delta forms
Deltas are triangular or fan-shaped
When a river empties from a mountain
valley into a flat plain, the deposit is
called an alluvial fan
Water that soaks into the ground collects
in the pores and empty spaces in the soil
or rock is called groundwater
14% of all water exists as groundwater
Groundwater system has connecting
pores
Soil and rock are permeable if pores are
connected and water can pass through
them
◦ Water flows easily through
◦ Ex: sandstone-permeable rock
Impermeable rock or soil doesn’t have
well connected pores or few pore spaces
◦ Water doesn’t flow easily through
◦ Ex: granite, clay
Groundwater keeps going deeper into
Earth’s crust until it reaches a layer of
impermeable rock
Zone of saturation is where all the pores
in the rock are filled with water
The upper surface of this zone is the
water table
The amount of groundwater is limited
Many people get their water from wells
that have been drilled into the zone of
saturation
During a draught, the water table drops
This is why it is important to conserve
water
A good well extends deep into the zone
of saturation
Groundwater flows into a well and a
pump brings it to the surface
If water is taken out of well faster than it
can be replaced, wells can go dry
If too much water is pumped out in area,
the land can drop or sink
Artesian well-doesn’t need a pump to
bring water to the surface
Water in an artesian well rises to the
surface due to pressure
Artesian wells are very rare because the
aquifer needs to be located between 2
impermeable layers that are sloping
Water enters at the high part of the slope
and exits through a well at the low part
of the slope due to the pressure created
by the higher part of the aquifer
Springs are found on hillsides where the
water table meets a sloping surface
Water flows out of the spring
Source of freshwater
Usually water comes to the surface as a
cool temperature
When water comes to the surface after
being heated by hot rocks, it is called a
hot spring
Is a hot spring that erupts periodically
Groundwater is heated to high
temperatures causing it to expand
underground
The expansion forces some of the water
out of the ground
Most of the water turns into steam
Ex: Old Faithful, Yellowstone National
Park
Groundwater mixes with carbon
dioxide to form carbonic acid (weak)
◦ CO2 is absorbed by groundwater in the
1.
◦
2.
3.
soil
CO2 is absorbed by rainwater from the
air
Acidic water flows through rocks,
dissolving the rock (limestone)
Cracks in the limestone get bigger until
an opening is formed. This is called a
cave!
Stalactites form from deposits of calcium
carbonate.
◦ Water dripping inside the cave has calcium
ions dissolved in it
◦ This water evaporates and deposits calcium
carbonate.
◦ When this happens over and over stalactites
form.
Stalagmites form when the drops of water
fall to the floor of the cave
A sinkhole is a depression on the surface of
the ground that forms when the roof of a
cave collapses or when material near the
surface dissolves
3 forces shape shorelines
1. Waves
Crash against the shorelines
Very powerful force
Erode and move away large amounts of
material
2. Currents
Longshore currents are created by
waves that hit at a slight angle
Carry tons of loose sediments
3. Tides
Outgoing tides carry sediments away
from the shore
Incoming tides bring new sediments to
the shoreline
Work with waves to shape shorelines
Rocky
Consist of rocks and
cliffs
Waves and sediments
slowly wear away
rocks
Rock parts that break
off are carried away
by longshore currents
Sandy
Smooth, gently sloping
beaches
Made up of grains of
quartz or shell
fragments
Fragments range from
stones to fine sand
Some beaches have
different colored sands
Ex: Hawaii-black, made
of basalt
Ex: Jamaica-white,
made of coral and shell
Are sand depositions that lay parallel to
the shore but are separated from the
mainland
Start out as underwater sand ridges
Hurricanes and waves help form the
islands
Last only a few years to a few centuries
Storms and waves also erode the barrier
islands and cause erosion to beachfront
developments