Water underground MS COULTER How water moves underground

Water underground MS. COULTER

How water moves underground Water underground trickles down between particles of soil and through cracks and spaces in layers of rock. The size of pores (space between particles) determines how easily water moves through rock and soil. Connected pores allows water to pass through, or permeate (permeable) As water soaks down through permeable rock and soil, it eventually reaches layers of material that it cannot pass through (impermeable)-clay and granite

How water moves underground cont. Water zones: Once water reaches an impermeable layer, it is trapped. It cannot soak any deeper. It begins to fill the permeable area, eventually filling (saturated) with water. Saturation zone The top of the saturation zone is the water table (or depth of groundwater under surface) Soil and rock above the water table contain some moisture, too. The pores contain air as well as water, they are not saturated. Layers of rock and soil above the water table is called the unsaturated zone

Bringing up groundwater Springs- can form as groundwater bubbles or flows out of cracks in the rock Aquifers- any underground layer of rock or sediment that holds water is called an aquifer. Can range in size: small patch to the size of several states. Ogallala aquifer lies beneath the plains of the Midwest, from South Dakota to Texas.

Bringing up groundwater People can obtain groundwater from an aquifer by drilling a well below the water table. If the well does not reach the saturated zone the well cannot obtain water.