What is a Water Table A water table

What is a Water Table? • A water table is the upper boundary of a zone of saturation. It can often be observed as the level of water in a lake or river.

What is an Artesian Well? • When a permeable layer of rock slopes down a hillside, the pressure of the water increases as the land slopes down. • If a well or natural spring occurs at this lower level of land, the water released will be under the same pressure as the permeable layer beneath. • These self flowing wells are called Artesian.

What is a Spring? • A spring is a point where the water table meets the ground surface causing the water to flow onto the surface. • A spring is often the start of a river, and can also feed lakes.

What is a Hot Spring? • A hot spring occurs where water is heated by the ground and then released as a spring. • The heat comes from rocks which are in close contact with magma. • Hot springs are often used as recreation areas but can also be deadly depending on the minerals dissolved in the heated water.

What are Geysers? • Now, instead of a hot spring, imagine pockets of water in that hot rock. • As the water heats up, the pressure builds until it shoots upward, to the surface. • The pockets are then refilled by cooler ground water and the process repeats. • A geyser is a hot spring where the water is ejected from the ground into the air!