GEL 130QR Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Outwash Plain, Drumlin, Aquifer
Document Summary
Water seeps into the ground and fills in the small spaces between sediment. Water table the upper level of the saturation zone of groundwater. Zone of saturation where water is located beneath the ground. Zone of aeration the area above the water table. Porosity - the percentage of pore (open) spaces in a rock or sediment, depends on the size and shape of grains, how it is sorted and how tightly it is packed. Permeability - connectedness of pores and fractures, measure of ease with which fluid can move through a porous rock. Aquifers - permeable rock strata or sediment that transmits groundwater freely, ex: sand. Aquitards - an impermeable layer that hinders or prevents water movement, ex: clay. Confined aquifers an aquifer that has impermeable layers (aquitards) both above and below it. Unconfined aquifers an aquifer that is easily accessible. What earth materials form the best aquifers gravel, sand, and silt. Groundwater moves towards areas of lower pressure.
