Midterm 1 Terminology Flashcards
Porosity
The pore space of an aquifer is the spaces or voids between the solid material. The porosity of the aquifer is the volume of void space to the total volume, typically expressed as a percentage.
Moisture Content
the quantity of water contained in a material
Saturation
Saturated conditions occur when all of the voids, spaces, and cracks are filled with water. Unsaturated conditions occur when the voids, spaces, and cracks between soil, sand, gravel, or rock are filled with a combination of air and water.
Vadose Zone
Area where water content varies depending on weather
Capillary Fringe
The area where groundwater is drawn up into the pores or spaces in the sediment above the water table by capillary action
Saturated Zone
Area below the water table, contains groundwater
Water Table (Phreatic Surface)
Location where groundwater is at atmospheric pressure
Unconfined Aquifer (Water Table Aquifer, Phreatic Aquifer)
An aquifer that’s upper bound is the water table
Perched Aquifer
An aquifer that is above the zone of saturation, in the vadose zone
Confined Aquifer
An aquifer that’s upper bound has a confining layer that does not transmit water, and is under pressure
Artesian Aquifer
An aquifer that is confined between impermeable material that is under positive pressure. When a well is drilled into an artesian aquifer, water flows to the surface
Aquitard
Confining layer of an aquifer that leaks
Aquifuge
Confining layer of an aquifer that is impermeable but contains water (ex: clay)
Aquiclude
Confining layer of an aquifer that is impermeable and does not contain water
Lithography
Types of rock
Stratigraphy
Subsurface layers