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LAB TOPIC: GROUNDWATER30 points
Introduction
Groundwater is created as water from rain or melting snow enters the ground through
the spaces between soil particles. Water will move down through the ground spaces until it
reaches a layer of rock that is impermeable. If enough water collects above this impermeable
layer it will become a water table. Often there is a sand layer over clay and this permeable layer
over an impermeable layer creates an aquifer. These areas in the ground are often the water
source for many regions.
In this lab we are going to study different types of soil and their ability to contain water.
Materials
3 medium clear plastic cups or glass containers (you need to watch the water go down)
Gravel (or coarse sand similar to what we use in the winter for the roads but not the kind mixed
with salt)
Sand (similar to beach sand or sand for children’s sandbox)
Clay (modeling clay will work)
Measuring cup
Water
Procedure
1. Fill the first cup half way with gravel and the second half way with sand. In the third cup
put about two inches of clay at the bottom.
2. Pour 1/4 of a cup of water into cup number one and note how long it takes for the water
to reach the bottom.
3. Repeat this procedure with cup number two and number three. If the water does not
percolate through any of these materials make a note of that.
Observations
What did you observe for each soil type? Compare the rate of water flow for each.
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You are not just to give me definitions. Explain how they may be related to the way you
watched water go through various substances.
Analysis
Define the following terms and explain how they were modeled in your lab: permeability,
porosity, groundwater, water table, and aquifer. Note that the bottom of the cup can represent
an impermeable layer.
Explain how wells are a source of water for many people, either individual wells or town wells.
How would an extended drought affect these people? Where does your water come from?
You may of course use your text but be sure to cite sources you use for definitions.
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Mountain Building
20 points
Answer the following questions by filling in the blank. You can do this in the worksheet
or on a separate document. You do no need to write in complete sentences, just give the
answers.
1. The combination of processes which result in the process of mountain building is
called _______________ (deformation/isostatsy/orogeny).
2. ____________ (Underthrusting/isostacy/erosion) refers to a state of gravitational
equilibrium between the lithosphere and asthenosphere.
3. If a large amount of weight is removed from the crust, it will respond by _______
(uplifting/subsiding).
4. Wavelike bends of rock strata are called _________ (folds/faults).
5. Upfolds (arch-shaped structures) are called ________ (anticlines/synclines).
6. Troughs or downfolds in rock strata are called ______ (anticlines/synclines).
7. Normal faulting can produce uplifted blocks called _________ (grabens/horsts) and
downfaulted blocks called ___________ (grabens/horsts).
8. Mountain building such as the Alps and the Himalayas are associated with
____________ (converging/diverging) tectonic plates.
9. Volcanic arcs are associated with _________ (diverging/subducting) tectonic plates.
10. The process by which one continent subducts beneath the other during continent to
continent convergence is ___________ (underthrusting/faulting/orogeny).
11. A _________ (basin/dome/fault) is a fracture along which rock on one side has
moved relative to the rock on the other side.
12. __________ (synclines/limbs/faults) are the sides of a fold in rock.
13. A circular or elliptical anticlinal structure is a ________ (basin/dome/fold).
14. The distance that rocks of opposite sides of a fault have moved relative to each other
is _________ (fracture/fold/ slip).
15. _________ (Slip/Joint/Fault) is a fracture across which the rock on both sides does
not move.
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16. A ____________(thrust fault/reverse fault/normal fault) forms where tectonic
movement stretches the crust apart.
17. Horizontal compressive forces may fracture rock to produce a _________ (thrust
fault/reverse fault/normal fault).
18. The _________ (Himalayas/Andes/Aleutian Islands) are an example of oceanic and
continental margin subduction.
19. The _________ (Himalays/Andes/Aleutian Islands) are found in the Pacific Ocean
where convergence of oceanic plates occurs.
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Soil Study
36 points
Part B. Matching.
Match the soil type with the definition given.
_____ Contain high proportions of volcanic
rock and are capable of supporting
intense agriculture; found in Pacific
northwest.
A. Spodosol
_____ Form in semi-arid to humid environments.
Typically support hardwood forests, high
Fertility capable of sustained agriculture.
B. Gelisol
_____ Formed in high latitude or high elevations
Regions characterized by very cold temperatures
and permafrost.
C. Andisol
_____ Desert soils characterized by low moisture.
D. Histosol
_____ Mid-latitude grassland ecosystem characterized
by thick, rich A horizon. Most widespread soil
order in US.
E. Vertisol
_____ Characterized by thick, organic rich accumulation.
Typically bogs, marshes, or swamps.
F. Entisol
_____Strongly leached soil in tropical settings. Extremely
infertile soils.
G. Alfisol
_____ Typically form in cool, moist areas and support
coniferous forests. Acidic soil, naturally infertile.
H. Mollisol
_____ Clay-rich makes them nearly impermeable when
wet and favorable for rice production.
I. Oxisol
_____ Young soil with little horizon development. Most
are sandy and thin.
J. Aridisol
Part C. Fill in the table below.
Type of Movement
Flow
Slide
Fall
Description
Subcategories
WATER: AN AGENT OF CHANGE 38 points
See the diagrams on the following pages.
You should not scan the diagrams to label them. Just include the answer in the number
that asks for the labeling. For instance in number 2 write your answer as A. ________
and say what is and how it was formed, erosion or deposition. B. ___ and so forth. You
can do the same for all diagrams.
1. Identify the features A through E in diagram 1 and state if they were formed by
erosion or deposition. Note that diagram B is not mountains but formations that
are found in caves.
Choose from the following terms for these diagrams: sinkhole, alluvial fan,
stalactites, delta, stalagmites.
2. Identify the features of the river system numbered 1-5 depicted in Diagram 2.
Choose from the following terms: meander, flood plain, tributaries, oxbow lake.
delta.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Why is a flood plain a good farm area?
What is a levee?
Explain how artificial levees interfere with the natural flooding of a river.
Label the features numbered 1-7 on diagram 3. Use the following terms: confined
aquifer, water table, artesian well, recharge zone, aquifer, non-artesian well,
perched water table.
7. What is groundwater?
8. How can you get groundwater to the surface?
9. What happens when the water table drops?
10. Why might the water table drop?
11. What problems would arise from placing a well in a perched water table?
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EXAMPLE LAB REPORT
This is a sample lab to help you understand how to do your lab reports.
LAB TOPIC: Sedimentation
Sedimentary rock is often formed when weathered rock settles to the bottom of
rivers, lakes, and oceans. We will recreate this in a model.
Hypothesis: If the particles are larger, they will settle to the bottom of the container first.
Materials:
Sand
Flour
Water
Baking pan
Procedure
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Mix ¼ cup of san with one cup of water.
Stir the mixture well.
Pour this into the baking pan and let it sit for 1 hour.
Mix ¼ cup flour with 1 cup water.
Mix this well and gently pour into the standing water in the baking pan.
Let this sit for another hour.
Observations
Describe what the mixture of sand and water looked like before you poured it into the
pan. Describe what it looked like after an hour. Describe the flour mixture before you
poured it in the pan. Describe what the pan looked like after the second hour.
Analysis
Why did sand and water change in appearance? Why did the flour and water change in
appearance? Account for what happened. How would you relate this to sedimentation in
water bodies on the Earth?
Here’s an example lab report.
The lab I posted are your instructions and should not be submitted as part of your report.
Sedimentation Lab
Introduction
Sedimentary rocks form when layers of sediment are covered by more layers of
sediment and over geologic time are compressed. This pressure causes them to harden
into rock.
Hypothesis: If the particles are larger, then they will settle to the bottom of the container
first.
Materials:
Sand
Flour
Water
Baking pan
Procedure
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Mix ¼ cup of san with one cup of water.
Stir the mixture well.
Pour this into the baking pan and let it sit for 1 hour.
Mix ¼ cup flour with 1 cup water.
Mix this well and gently pour into the standing water in the baking pan.
Let this sit for another hour.
Observations
When I first mixed the sand and water it had the appearance of silt laden water.
The sand appeared well distributed through the cup. After the hour elapsed the mixture
was different. All the sand had settled to the bottom of the pan and the water over it
looked almost clear. The same thing seemed to happen with the flour. At first the mixture
was cloudy and the same throughout. After another hour passed I could see the flour had
settled out on the sand at the bottom of the pan. The water over this was again almost
clear. The flour seemed to settle among the sand grains and not form a separate layer of
flour.
Analysis
Both the sand and flour formed mixtures with the water but because they were
mixtures they did retain their own identities. The sand was still sand and the four was still
flour. Because of their weight they settled out of the water once the water was stilled. I
imagine many things would react the same, gravel and water, sugar and water, etc.
Rivers carry much debris as they flow towards a larger body of water. These are a result
of rocks breaking down in the process of weathering. The heavier objects would probably
settle out first and then the lighter ones. As rivers enter larger bodies of water the flow
slows enough that much of what they carry settles out or precipitates. Over time the
constant influx of materials builds up and the pressure on the bottom layers causes them
to form sedimentary rocks.
LAB TOPIC: Using Time Travel Curves to Locate Epicenters
(B)
Introduction
Seismograms are records of earthquake activity. They record both the severity and
duration of the shocks produced by earthquakes. There are seismograph stations all over
the world which are constantly recording information about earthquakes as they occur.
Seismologists use this information to create a time-travel curve that tells them how far
away from the epicenter their station is. They determine the distance by the arrival time
of the P, S, and surface waves and share this with other stations. With the information
from at least three different stations seismologist can determine the location of the
epicenter. (See page 129) In this exercise you will recreate how seismologists locate
epicenters using seismograms.
Materials
3 Earthquake maps
Compass and pencil
Procedure
You will need to download the pictures to a word file and print them out. Do your work
on them and then scan them into a word file or take pictures and submit with your report.
1. On map 1 there are three different seismograph stations named A, B, and C. there
are also three areas marked with an X that correspond to the distance from each
station that the epicenter was determined to be.
2. Place the compass point on station A and set the pencil point on the area AX.
Using the compass draw an arc or circle (whatever fits) around A. Repeat this
procedure with B and BX and C and CX.
3. Circle and highlight the area where all the lines intersect. This corresponds to the
epicenter. You may not have them all together exactly but the closest you come
will indicate your epicenter. Remember there is only one epicenter per
earthquake. There is only one epicenter in any given earthquake.
4. Repeat this procedure for maps 2 and 3. These are two more earthquakes.
5. Answer the analysis questions.
LAB TOPIC: Using Time Travel Curves to Locate Epicenters 22 points
NAME: _______________________________
DUE DATE: ___________
Analysis (See your text for information about time travel curves.)
Please remember that you are not just answering these questions. You are writing a lab
report and you start with this information and expand on it. Things like time travel curves
should be explained and linked to how the epicenters are determined.
Scroll all the way down to see the 3 maps you are using.
What do the areas indicated by X (AX, BX, CX) represent?
Explain how this information is usually obtained. Include recording station
usefulness and how many are used.
How many recording stations would give the best information? Is there a set
number or can it vary?
Should seismograph stations be located only near fault zones? Why or why not?
