Question

1)Explain the difference between the zone of aeration and the zone of saturation.

Answer 1

1. The zone of aeration and zone of saturation are two separate zones in the soil. The zone of aeration is the top zone of the soil. In this zone the rocks and soil have pores that are only partially filled with water. The saturation zone lies below the aeration zone. This zone is composed of rocks and soil that have pores that are saturated with water.

2. The water manages to move much more easily through rocks and sediment that have larger pores. The reason for this is that the larger the pores, the more free space there is, so the water manages to flow through them without any particular problem. The rocks and sediment that have smaller pores are not allowing for the free flow of the water. The smaller the pores are the smaller the space for the water to pass through, so the water usually starts to accumulate and cause saturation.

3. The caves and the caverns have two basic differences, though it has to be mentioned that the caverns are actually a type of cave. The caves are natural openings that occur on the sides of the hills, mountains, and gorges, while the caverns only form in soluble rocks and have speleothems in them. A typical cave has only one opening, while the caverns have multiple openings, ranging anywhere from two to several tens of them.

4. The two major factors that determine how easily the water can move through rock or sediment are the size of the pores and are the pores connected or not. If the pores are larger and they are connected the water will be able to move easily through the rock and sediment. On the other hand, if the pores are connected or they are very small, the water will find it hard to move through them and saturate them.

5. The karst topography is a very interesting one. It has lot of caves, cavers, karst fields, springs etc. This topography forms because of the reaction between the bedrock and the water and carbon dioxide. The water and the carbon dioxide manage to dissolve because of the increased levels of acidity, so the rocks start to change their composition, and over longer periods of time, lot of different features start to form, creating the interesting karst topography.

Answer 2

Answer:

1.  In the zone of aeration, some of the pore space is occupied by air, and some of the pore space is occupied by water. In the zone of saturation, all of the pore space is occupied by water.

2.  It's easier for water to flow through large pores because there's less friction between the flowing water and the pore walls. Smaller pores create more friction between flowing water and pore walls. In addition, smaller pores create more twists and turns for the water to flow around.

3.  A cave is a natural, underground chamber that connects to Earth’s surface. A cavern is a type of cave where speleothems form. All caverns are caves, but not all caves are caverns.

4.  The two factors that determine how easily water can move through rock or sediment are the slope of the water table and the permeability of the rock or sediment.

5.  Karst topography, which includes sinkholes and caves, occurs in areas with a lot of limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. When water and carbon dioxide react, they form carbonic acid. This weak acid solution is able to dissolve these materials, leading to the formation of many karst features.

Explanation:

PennFoster