Instructors now have an easy way to collect students’ online quizzes with the Norton Gradebook without flooding their inboxes with e-mails.

Students can track their online quiz scores by setting up their own Student Gradebook.

Chapter 19: A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Getting Started :

If you haven’t done it already, download Google Earth™ and install it on your computer.
If you haven’t done it already, download the Geotours.kmz file and save a copy to your desktop. (The Geotours.kmz file contains the Geotours for all chapters, so you only need to download this once!)
By downloading Geotours.kmz you acknowledge that it was created solely to accompany Steve Marshak's Earth: Portrait of a Planet and Essentials of Geology and is limited to use with only Steve Marshak's Earth: Portrait of a Planet and Essentials of Geology and may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means for any other purpose without the written permission of the publisher.
Double-click the Geotours.kmz file and Google Earth™ will open automatically.
In the left-hand sidebar you will see a Places menu, and in the Temporary Places folder you will see an EARTH_3e.kmz file. Double-click the file and you will see a list of Geotours for each chapter.
Then open the Geotour folder you want to explore! If you’d like to read more about the features of Geotours see Using Geotours, or go to our Helpful Resources section.

See also Worksheet Problem 6
"What a Geologist Sees" Geofeatures: Two Sinkholes and Cone Karst; Water: Disappearing Stream

You can see features at the surface of the Earth that result from the rise of groundwater at springs, pumping, or underground erosion by groundwater.

Irrigation in the Saudi Desert
1. Double-click and check the polygon labeled Problem 1. You’ll see a magenta polygon highlighting a region in which there are many circular fields irrigated by groundwater. Why don’t the areas outside the polygon also have abundant irrigated fields? Put another way, what is the significance of the trend of the polygon? (Hint: Think about where groundwater is located in the subsurface.)

Everglades National Park, Florida
2. Double-click and check the box next to one of the placemarks labeled Problem 2.

(a) Use the Hand Tool to obtain elevations (in m) of each of the three Problem 2 placemarks:

(b) Considering the differences in elevations in these localities, what is the regional flow direction of surface water in the Everglades?

(c) With this concept in mind, explain the orientation of the vegetated hammocks in the area around the placemark for Image G19.4.

3. Saltwater incursion is a common problem in southern Florida. Which locality (Placemark 2a, b, or c) is most likely to experience saltwater incursion?

Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park
4. Double-click and check the box next to one of the placemarks labeled Problem 4. You will fly to Midway Geyser Basin and see Grand Prismatic Pool, a hot spring, and the nearby Firehole River. Use the Measuring Tool to measure the width of Grand Prismatic Pool between the two placemarks.

(a) What is the diameter of the pool (in m)?

(b) Using the Hand Tool, compare the elevation of the pool and of the Firehole River (in m). Does overland flow of water travel from the pool to the Firehole River or from the Firehole River to Grand Prismatic Pool?

What does this flow direction imply about the supply of water to Grand Prismatic Pool?

Sinkholes in Florida
5. Image G19.9 shows many sinkholes in the Florida area.

(a) Use the Hand Tool to obtain elevations (in m) of the water in at least twelve different sinkholes. Is the water level constant (to within 1 m), does it vary consistently in one direction, or is there no pattern to the water levels?

Karst Landscape, Puerto Rico
6. Double-click and check the box next to one of the placemarks labeled Problem 6. You will fly to the region adjacent to Arecibo Observatory radio telescope. Use the Measuring Tool to measure the length of the stream between the two placemarks.

(a) What is the length of the stream (in km)?

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