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Water Terms

Water Terms. 11/1/11. Porosity - a measure of the amount and size of spaces within an earth material. Porous rocks that form aquifers - limestone, sandstone, chalk, and fractured basalt Nonporous rocks - granite, slate , and marble.

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Water Terms

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  1. Water Terms 11/1/11

  2. Porosity - a measure of the amount and size of spaces within an earth material. • Porous rocks that form aquifers - limestone, sandstone, chalk, and fractured basalt • Nonporous rocks - granite, slate , and marble

  3. Permeability- is a measure of the ability of an earth material to let water pass through it. • Impermeable - not allowing water to pass through ( clay is an impermeable earth material ).

  4. Infiltration - when water enters the soil surface after falling from the atmosphere.

  5. Percolation - the downward movement of water from the land surface into to soil or porous rock caused mainly by gravity.

  6. Groundwater - water that flows through the pores in the rocks and soil beneath the surface of the ground.

  7. Surface water - water found on the earth’s surface including rivers, streams, lakes, oceans and even water running down the street during thunderstorms. It flows downhill until it reaches a creek or stream. The creek or stream will eventually feed a river that flows into an ocean.

  8. Runoff - water that is moving above the surface of the land - especially where the ground is bare or already saturated with water .

  9. Watershed - an area of land where all of the surface water within a specified area drains downward and flows to the same place.

  10. Aquifer - a natural underground area where large quantities of groundwater fill spaces between rocks and sediments. It is available for use by using wells to pump out the water.

  11. Water table - the upper surface of ground water below which the soil or rocks are permanently saturated with water and where the pressure of water in the soil equals the pressure of the atmosphere. • The water table fluctuates (or goes up and down) with the seasons and from year to year depending on the amount of precipitation and how much humans withdraw from wells.

  12. Recharge Zone The area of the Earth's surface where water seeps down into the aquifer

  13. Saturation zone - where water completely fills all of the interconnected pore spaces.

  14. Confining layer - a layer of rock that is less permeable and keeps ground water from draining away.

  15. Artesian Aquifer - when an aquifer is bound by two confining layers. • Water in an artesian aquifer is under pressure from the weight of the water at higher elevations. Because of this pressure, wells drilled into artesian aquifers will have water forced up. If the water level is higher than the elevation of the land area, it is a flowing artesian well.

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