Aquifers Flashcards
1
Q
What is an aquifer?
A
A body of rock that holds water
2
Q
Which kinds of rock are aquifers made of?
A
Porous and permeable.
3
Q
What is porosity?
A
A measure of the proportion of the rocks’s volume that is air and can therefore hold water.
4
Q
What is permeability?
A
A measure of the ease with which fluid flows through a rock because of interconnections between these spaces and their size.
5
Q
What qualities should the rock around an aquifer have?
A
Rock below: impermeable to prevent water escaping
Rock above: permeable to allow aquifer recharge
6
Q
What factors affect porosity?
A
- Size, shape and arrangement of pores
- Lithology: Type of rock or sediment that makes up the material
- Texture: size and shape of the grains or particles
- Structure: the arrangement of grains or particles
