EAS210 Lecture 12: Groundwater
3 Dec 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Chapter 16, p. 359-381 earth: an introduction to physical geology 4ce: terminology and movement. Precipitation lands on earth"s surface, and infiltrates porous and permeable. Percolation ceases at some depth, where the pores below are completely saturated; this depth named: the water table. Below this, we have the phreatic zone (zone of saturation of text); phreatic zone characterized: the pores are completely saturated; water here is called groundwater. Because rocks and soils resist the flow of water, the water table is not level/horizontal, but irregular. General relationship of water table to topography (configuration of the landscape) explained: the water table tends to follow or mimic topography (configuration of landscape), but in a subdued fashion. By contrast, the valley or stream bed may lie above the water table, i. e. the vadose zone lies between the stream bed and the water table. Water drains out the base of the stream; such a stream labeled: is influent or losing or ephemeral.
