![]() ![]() Like many other geoscientists, working with other disciplines is common, with a heavy influence from both math and technology. ![]() Those who study water, water resources, or the landforms made by water, may have many titles, including hydrologist, hydro-geologist, geomorphologist, or geochemist to name a few. Rivers and lakes make up only a small fraction of Earth’s freshwater resources. Earth’s freshwater sources are mostly locked within glaciers and ice caps and as groundwater. Figure 9.2: Most of the Earth’s water is found in oceans and is therefore saltwater. Additional water resources are also found in the ground, and will be discussed in another chapter ( Figure 9.2). The majority of water is found in oceans, but freshwater can be found in lakes, rivers and trapped away in glaciers and ice sheets. At Earth’s surface, this cycle, powered by the sun, operates easily since water can change form from liquid to gas (or water vapor) quickly. This movement of water through the Earth System is referred to as the hydrologic (water) cycle ( Figure 9.1). Water is continually recycled through the atmosphere, to the land, and back to the oceans. What happens to the rain in the grassy area? Much of it will infiltrate, or soak into the ground. Where does the water from the parking lot go? Much of it will flow across the surface and eventually join a stream. What happens to water during a rainstorm? Imagine that you are outside in a parking lot with grassy areas nearby. Water is always changing states between liquid, vapor, and ice, with these processes happening in the blink of an eye and over millions of years. Figure 9.1: Earth's water is always in movement, and the natural water cycle (hydrologic cycle), describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. Some of these processes are slow and result in landscapes worn down over time others, such as floods, can be dramatically fast and dangerous. Water can sculpt the landscape dramatically over time, by both carving canyons and depositing thick layers of sediment. How many times a day do you take water for granted? Do you assume the tap will be flowing when you turn on your faucet? That the shower will turn on, the toilet will flush, and you’ll have water to cook your meals? Not only is water necessary for many of life’s functions, it is also a considerable geologic agent. The valley between Town Hill and Sideling Hill is a broad anticlinorium with minor anticlines and synclines, all striking northeast.\) A panoramic view of the Potomac valley meanders is visible from Bannecs overlook (Stop 4) atop Town Hill halfway between Little Orleans and Maryland 51. Orleans overlook and the Reckley Flat meander are also accessible to each other in dry weather via Oldtown Road and Thomas Road. Caution is required, however, since this road is narrow and has few places to stop. The high terrace cut by the Little Cacapon can be seen from Moser Avenue 0.7 mi (1 km) southwest of its junction with West Virginia 9 in Paw Paw (Stop 3). The Reckley Flat meander is best seen from Maryland 51 (Stop 2). The Reckley Flat abandoned meander now occupied by Purslane Run is accessible via Maryland 5 I or West Virginia 9. An abandoned channel of Fifteen Mile Creek is present immediately south of Little Orleans. ![]() 40, about 6 mi (10 km) south on Orleans Road to Little Orleans, then 2.7 mi (4.4 km) west on Oldtown Road to Orleans overlook (Stop 1). The northernmost meander is accessible in dry weather by automobile from U.S. These meanders are shown on the Paw Paw, West Virginia, Topographic Quadrangle. The incised meanders of the Potomac River are located between Paw Paw, West Virginia, and Little Orleans, Maryland, approximately 17 mi (27 km) southeast of Cumberland, Maryland, and 20 mi (32 km) southwest of Hancock, Maryland (Fig. ![]()
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