Definitions
Groundwater- subsurface water below the water table.
Aquifer- a body of saturated rock that both stores and transmits important quantities of groundwater.
Aquitard- a saturated body of rock that impedes the movement of groundwater.
Capillary Fringe- a thin mantle immediately overlying the water table in which the pores are entirely filled with water, but the pressure is less than atmospheric pressure.
Water table-the upper surface of the saturated zone, corresponding to the base of the capillary fringe and the surface upon which pore water pressure is exactly equal to the atmospheric pressure.
Confined Aquifer- an aquifer lying below an aquitard.
Unconfined Aquifer- an aquifer in which the upper limit of saturation is the water table, such that unsaturated soil or sub-subsoil lies between the upper boundary of the aquifer and the ground surface.
Source: Groundwater in the Environment by Paul L. Younger
Reply
