GROUND WATER CH1

groundwater

the water that is beneath Earth's surface

water table

The part of the groundwater system which has pore space 100% filled with water.

perched water table

A perched water table is water standing above an unsaturated zone.

saturated zone

the area in an aquifer, below the water table, in which all pores, fractures, and cavities (including karst caves) are filled with water.

unsaturated zone

the portion of the subsurface above the groundwater table

permeability

porosity

The ability for a fluid to travel between pores, or, how connected the pores are within a rock or sediment.

artesian wells

A well which allows pressurized water to reach the surface.

aquifer

A rock or sediment that has good permeability and porosity, and allows water to move easily, making it possible to get water for human use.

aquitard

A layer with lower porosity and/or permeability which allows only minimal and/or slow fluid flow.

recharge area

Area where water infiltrates into the ground and adds to the overall groundwater.

karst topography

natural landscape that is largely the result of chemical weathering by water, resulting in caves, sinkholes, cliffs, and steep-sided hills called towers.

limestone

a sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcium that was deposited by the remains of marine animals

sinkhole

A sinkhole is a depression in the ground that has no natural external surface drainage

sinkhole lake

a closed natural depression in the ground surface caused by removal of material below the ground and either collapse or gradual subsidence of the surface into the resulting void.

cave

a natural opening in the ground extending beyond the zone of light and large enough to permit the entry of man. Occurring in a wide variety of rock types and caused by widely differing geological proc- esses, caves range in size from single small rooms to intercorinecting passages many miles long.

dripstone

A mineral deposit, such as a stalactite or a stalagmite, usually consisting of calcite, formed in caves from dripping water.

stalactite

A stalactite is an icicle-shaped formation that hangs from the ceiling of a cave and is produced by precipitation of minerals from water dripping through the cave ceiling.

stalagmite

A stalagmite is an upward-growing mound of mineral deposits that have precipitated from water dripping onto the floor of a cave.