Key Points in this Chapter

KEY POINTS IN THIS CHAPTER

• Drainage basins are the land areas all draining into the same place. Most drainage basins drain into the ocean.

• Streams are what geologists call all flowing bodies of water. The size of a stream is dependent on the volume of water flowing past a single point in a set period of time.

• A thalweg is a line drawn by measuring the deepest point of any stream and connecting the dot along the stream at those point.

• Erosion of a stream depends on several factors. Most of it has to do with the energy of the stream's waters and the way the stream is flowing. Slower streams meander, while faster ones do not.

• Aquifers are areas where the groundwater is accessible and drinkable after it has filtered through pores in the rock.

• Shorelines are made by wave action. Waves have certain features and are generated by wind activity.

• Waves do not hit most land at a 90-degree angle but tend to push sand down the coastline in a longshore current.

• Geothermal activity leads to several phenomena related to water, such as fumaroles, geysers, mudpots, and hot springs.