1. Groundwater
11.3

2. Earth’s water budget
From Miller’s Living in the Environment

3. Geology of an aquifer
From Miller’s Living in the Environment

4. Words to know…
Water table = the top of the layer of water in the ground.
Confining layer = layers of rock that the water can not pass through…it traps the water
Spring = where water flows up to the surface of the ground
Well = man made hole that goes to the water table & water is pumped to surface

5. Aquifer Layer of rock that contains groundwater.
The water sits between the grains of sand or rock that are connected.
The water can move through the sand or rock layer.

6. GW use in USA & China
From Miller’s Living in the Environment

7. Areas of aquifer depletion
From Miller’s Living in the Environment

8. Areas of ground subsidence
From Miller’s Living in the Environment

9. Porosity Percentage of open space between particles in the rock.
belmont.sd62.bc.ca

10. Porosity % of open spaces in given volume of rock
Amount of water a rock can hold
Influenced by:
Sorting
poorly sorted = lower porosity
Packing
tightly packed = lower porosity
Loosely packed = higher porosity

11. Permeability
How readily the water passes through the open spaces of the rock.
kalkaskacounty.net

12. Permeability How freely water passes through open spaces.
For a rock to be permeable, it must have connected spaces.
Influenced by:
Size & sorting
Consistent sorting & large particles = high permeability
Most permeable rock:
Coarse particles (sandstone, fractured limestone)

13. Recharge zones
Area where water can soak into the ground and enter an aquifer.
NC road sign example
Nicholas.duke.edu

14. Saltwater intrusion
From Miller’s Living in the Environment

15. Homework
Read pages

16. Output
Sketch and label a cross section an aquifer