Final answer:
Water infiltrates the soil to replenish groundwater, whereas surface runoff occurs when water flows over land unable to absorb it. These processes are part of the water cycle, which includes the movement and transformation of water on Earth.
Step-by-step explanation:
Infiltration occurs when water gets into the soil and recharges groundwater. Surface runoff occurs as water moves across a surface because it is not able to penetrate it.
During a rainstorm, if you are outside in a parking lot with grassy areas nearby, the water from the parking lot typically turns into surface runoff. This runoff moves over the land as sheet flow and may eventually join a stream.
In contrast, the rain that falls on the grassy area is likely to infiltrate, soaking into the ground, and recharging groundwater supplies which are part of the water cycle. This cycle involves water constantly moving and changing states due to processes like evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff, and subsurface flow, all driven by solar energy and gravity.