GLY-1104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Unconformity, Capillary Action, Water Table
Document Summary
Groundwater: is any water below the surface of the earth. Conditions: found : saturated fractures, saturated sediments and rocks, saturated cavities. Water table: upper surface of particular groundwater. Bigger gradient means the faster that groundwater will flow. Higher porosity: well-rounded, well-sorted (~same size), clays (but low permeability) Might have high porosity, but no permeability because pores aren"t connected. Permeability- measure of how easily water can flow through pores in a material. Groundwater flow typically mimics topography: deep under uplands, shallow under lowlands. Aquifer: a saturated formation that can satisfy a population"s water needs: move water permeability, store water porosity (primary and secondary) Confining layer- a rock/ sediment that may store water but doesn"t allow it to flow readily: un-fractured granite, shale, clay. Two types: unconfined and confined: unconfined: water table (upper boundary), direct recharge, not under pressure, aka water table aquifer, confined: is confined above and below, under pressure, water comes from far away.
