Aquifers questions and answers graded A+ 2023/2024

Aquifersaeration zone - correct answer the zone immediately below the land surface where the pores contain both water and air, but are not totally saturated with water. Plant roots can capture the moisture passing through this zone, but it cannot provide water for wells. Aka the unsaturated zone. aquifer - correct answer an underground geological formation able to store and yield water cone of depression - correct answer the zone around a well in an unconfined aquifer confining layer - correct answer geologic material with little or no permeability or hydraulic conductivity. water does not pass through this layer or the rate of movement is extremely slow. depletion - correct answer the loss of water from surface water reservoirs or groundwater aquifers at a rate greater than that of recharge discharge - correct answer an outflow of water from a stream, pipe, groundwater aquifer, or watershed; the opposite of recharge drawdown - correct answer a lowering of the groundwater level caused by pumping flow rate - correct answer the time required for a volume of groundwater to move between points. typically groundwater moves very slowly - sometimes only inches per year groundwater - correct answer water found in the spaces between soil particles and cracks in rocks underground (located in the saturation zone). groundwater is a natural resource that is used for drinking, recreation, industry, and growing crops hydrologic cycle - correct answer (aka the water cycle) the paths water takes through its various states - vapor, liquid, solid - as it moves throughout the oceans, atmosphere, groundwater, streams, etc. impermeable layer - correct answer a layer of material (such as clay) in an aquifer through which water does not pass infiltration - correct answer flow of water from the land surface into the subsurface infiltration rate - correct answer the quantity of water that enters the soil surface in a specified time interval. often expressed in volume of water per unit of soil surface area per unit of time monitoring well - correct answer a non-pumping well, generally of small diameter, that is used to measure the elevation of a water table or water quality. overwithdrawal - correct answer withdrawal of groundwater over a period of time that exceeds the recharge rate of the supply aquifer. also referred to as overdraft or mining the aquifer. permeable/permeability - correct answer capable of transmitting water (porous rock, sediment or soil); the rate at which water moves through rocks or soil permeable layer - correct answer a layer of porous material (rock, soil, unconsolidated sediment); in an aquifer, the layer through which water freely passes as it moves through the ground plume - correct answer in groundwater a plume is an underground pattern of contaminant concentrations created by the movement of groundwater beneath a contaminant source. Contaminants spread mostly laterally in the direction of groundwater movement. the source site has the highest concentration, and the concentration decreases away from the source. pore space - correct answer openings between geologic material found underground. also referred to as void space or interstices porosity - correct answer the ratio of the volume of void or air spaces in a rock or sediment to the total volume of the rock or sediment. the capacity of rock or soil to hold water varies with the material. for example, saturated sand contains about 20% water; gravel, 25%; and clay, 48%.