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 Now that you have learned about the exciting world of
groundwater,, it is time to see how it fits into that endless watery
groundwater
process called the water cycle, also know as the hydrologic cycle.
 the water cycle, when water from the earth·s soil, plants, and
water bodies turns into water vapor through the process of
evaporation.
 This invisible vapor, most of which comes from the world·s
oceans, travels up into the atmosphere and condenses, forming
clouds. This is called condensation.
 The vapors in the clouds condense more and more until they
form water droplets.
 More and more water vapor combines with the water droplet
until it is too heavy to stay in the sky any longer. The water falls
to the earth far below as precipitation.
 Examples of precipitation include rain, hail, sleet, and snow.
 Yhen the water reaches the earth·s surface, some of it
will flow along the surface of the earth as runoff while
the rest of it soaks into the soil-
soil-called recharge.
 Down, down, down the water goes through the soil
until it becomes groundwater and is stored in the
aquifer below.
 Once the water has joined the aquifer, it doesn·t stop
there.
 The groundwater slowly moves through the spaces
and cracks between the soil particles on its journey to
lower elevations.
 This movement of water underground is called
groundwater flow.
 the groundwater comes to a discharge area where it
enters a lake or stream.

 the water will once again be evaporated and begin the

cycle again.

 Yater has been transported through the water cycle

for millions of years and will continue this cycle
forever. In the water cycle.

 water is constantly on the move.

     
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 p geologic formation from which significant
amounts of ground water can be pumped for
domestic, municipal, or agricultural uses is known as
an aquifer.
 pquifers are vertically separated from each other by
geologic formations that permit little or no water to
flow in or out.
 p formation that acts as such a water barrier is called
aquitard.
 It is much less permeable than a nearby aquifer but
still permits flow (e.g., sandy clay).
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 ÿprings form where the water table intersects with the
land surface:
 ÿometimes ground water is forced into a spring
because a low permeable layer of rock or fine
sediments (clay) keeps the water from percolating
deeper.
 p spring may also occur where subsurface pressure
forces water to the surface through a fracture or fault
zone that acts as a conduit for water movement from
a confined aquifer.
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‰ round water occupies the zone of saturation. ps depicted in
the hydrologic cycle diagram,
diagram,
‰ ground water moves downward through the soil
by percolation and then toward a stream channel or large body
of water as seepage.
seepage.
‰ The water table separates the zone of saturation from the zone
of aeration.
‰ The water table fluctuates with moisture conditions, during
wet times the water table will rise as more pore spaces are
occupied with water.
  
  

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 cround water moves from higher elevations to lower
elevations and from locations of higher pressure to locations
of lower pressure.
 In groundwater hydraulics (the science of groundwater
movement), water pressure surface and water table elevation
are referred to as the hydraulic head.
 Hydraulic head is the driving force behind groundwater
movement. croundwater movement is always in the
downward direction of the hydraulic head gradient.
 The hydraulic gradient is often but not always similar to that
of the land surface.
 croundwater movement in gravels and sands is relatively rapid,
whereas it is exceedingly slow in clay or in tiny rock fractures.
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 Yater is recharged to the ground-
ground-water system by percolation of water
from precipitation and then flows to the stream through the ground-
ground-water
system.
 Yater pumped from the ground-
ground-water system causes the water table to
lower and alters the direction of ground-
ground-water movement. ÿome water that
flowed to the stream no longer does so and some water may be drawn in
from the stream into the ground-
ground-water system, thereby reducing the
amount of stream flow.
 ›ontaminants introduced at the land surface may infiltrate to the water
table and flow towards a point of discharge, either the well or the stream.
(Not shown, but also important, is the potential movement of
contaminants from the stream into the ground-
ground-water system.)
 Yater-level declines may affect the environment for plants and animals.
 Yater-
For example, plants in the riparian zone that grew because of the close
proximity of the water table to the land surface may not survive as the
depth to water increases. The environment for fish and other aquatic
species also may be altered as the stream level drops.
 
 
  
 ›onfined (closed) aquifers are sandwiched in between dense
impermeable layers of earth material called an aquiclude.
aquiclude.
 cround water is replenished by percolation of water from the
zone of aeration downward to the zone of saturation, or in the
recharge zone of a confined aquifer.
 The recharge zone is where the confined aquifer is exposed at
the surface and water can enter it.
 pquifers replenish their supply of water very slowly.
 The rate of ground water flow depends on the permeability of
the aquifer and the hydraulic gradient.
 Permeability is affected by the size and connectivity of pore
spaces. Larger, better connected pore spaces creates highly
permeable earth material.
 prtesian water is ground water confined under pressure between layers of
relatively impermeable, underground rock-
rock-called a confined aquifer.
aquifer.
 prtesian water rises to the top of the aquifer and sometimes above land
when a well taps the confined aquifer.
 ›onfined aquifers are limited in number. In this type of
aquifer, water travels between the non-
non-porous rock layers like gravel,
sandstone, or granite and the rock elements hold the water .
 Yater penetrates into the earth through cracks and pores until all the gaps
are occupied with water and saturation is reached.
 ÿaturation is completed when the water
water,, flooding the soil,
arrives at hard rock layers, and further penetration is not
possible.
 Yater in aquifers is called groundwater. p reliable
groundwater replenishment system is essential for the survival
of humans and the earth0
earth0

  


 pn aquifer is the means of storing and transmitting groundwater. There
are three types of aquifers:
 Unconfined aquifer
 ›onfined aquifer
 Perched aquifer
 UN›ONFINED p
UIFERÿ are aquifers that have no
confining layers between the water level and ground level0
 ›ONFINED p
UIFERÿ are aquifers that have a confining layer between
the water level and ground level. p confining layer is a layer of material
that has little or no porosity 0
 PER›HED p
UIFERÿ are aquifers that have a confining layer
below the groundwater, and sits above the main water table.
Other Examples
 http://www.frogtech.com.au/groundwater/
 http://www.civilengineergroup.com/characterize
http://www.civilengineergroup.com/characterize--
aquifer.html
 www.physical environment.com
 Ú

       


 http://www.groundwater.org/kc/gwwatercycle.html