Using a hands-on water-filled model of the groundwater
cycle, kids can explore hydrology concepts like contamination, recharge, and
water table. Water flows through
this model to show how rain can move into the ground and dissolve rock layers
in karst geology. The
Shenandoah Valley and New River Valley have a lot of karst geology and features
like caves and springs.
The model can also be used to show how contamination on the
ground surface can move into groundwater then move through the system in very
unpredictable ways. Groundwater pollution can be very hard to fix.
Groundwater supply is another concept we can show using this
hands-on model: as wells in an
area pump out groundwater, the level can fall below the wellhead of a
neighboring well, making it go dry.
Many communities in Virginia rely on groundwater for their drinking
water supply.
The model used for these activities is usually on display
for the public at the VT Museum of Geosciences.
Hydrogeosciences Group in the Department of Geosciences
Virginia Tech's Department of
Geosciences focuses on research,
education,
and outreach
dealing with the nature of the earth. Our students and faculty investigate
earth processes at scales that range from atomic to planetary.
The Hydrogeosciences group studies a
very important thing: water! Their research covers a wide variety of
topics in both physical and chemical hydrogeology, including chemical and
contaminant transport, aquifer mechanics, well hydraulics.
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