Welcome to Module 6
More on Tearing Down Mountains: Groundwater and Rivers
We have seen how landslides and other mass movements supply rocks and dissolved materials to rivers, which carry the material to the sea; from there, the material goes down subduction zones or gets squeezed in obduction zones to make new mountains that produce new landslides. Here, we will look at the way rivers work, how they move their load of rocks along their beds and otherwise interact with this great cycle, and how they are fed by water in the ground.
Video Overview (2 minutes)
The following video is a parody of Proud Mary (Rollin' on the River) and helps introduce some of the topics we will see in Module 6.
Dr. Richard B. Alley: Left a big cliff in a landslide, loosened by the rain and an earthquake, too... Started on an epic trip to the delta, and on down a trench 'neath the ocean blue. River Keep On Movin', bed load keep on groovin'. Rollin', rollin', rollin' with the river. Shot through a braid in the mountains, then wrapped around a big old meander bend, but I cannot see the good side of the river, a reservoir trapped me away from my friend. River can't keep groovin', when dams stop the sediment movin'. Holdin', holdin', holdin' from the river. If you go down to the river bet you're going to see some houses too near. They might want to worry, storms are in a hurry, when the levies fail, there is something to fear. River will get moving, wildness will be proven, rollin', rollin', ever rollin' river. Rollin', rollin', ever rollin' river
Learning Objectives
- Recognize that rainwater soaks into the ground and flows through the ground to rivers
- Discuss how rivers must adjust to move both sediment and water supplied to them
- Explain how caves and related features, together called karst, form in rocks that dissolve easily
- Understand how these processes affect people, our cities, and our drinking water
What to do for Module 6?
You will have one week to complete Module 6. See the course calendar for specific due dates.
- Review all of the course materials
- Take the RockOn #6 Quiz
- Take the StudentsSpeak #7 Survey
- Continue working on Exercise #3
Questions?
If you have any questions, send an email via Canvas, to ALL the Teachers and TAs. To do this, add each teacher individually in the “To” line of your email. By adding all the teachers, the TAs will be included. Failure to email ALL the teachers may result in a delayed or missed response. For detailed directions on how to do this, see How to send an email in GEOSC 10 in the Important Information module.
This course is offered as part of the Repository of Open and Affordable Materials at Penn State. You are welcome to use and reuse materials that appear on this site (other than those copyrighted by others) subject to the licensing agreement linked to the bottom of this and every page. Students who register for this Penn State course gain access to assignments and instructor feedback and earn academic credit. Information about registering for this course is available from the Office of the University Registrar.