1. The Movement and Storage of Groundwater
Lesson 6
The Movement and Storage of Groundwater 1

2. Precipitation and Groundwater…
Remember the water cycle?
Most water in the atmosphere comes from oceans!
Most precipitation that falls on land becomes groundwater.
Eventually groundwater will…
… return to the ocean to complete the water cycle.

3. Groundwater Storage… 1. Porosity is…
…the percentage of pore space in a material
2. The types of soil that have -
a. highest porosity - well- sorted
b. lowest porosity – poorly- sorted

4. Groundwater Storage… in the pore spaces of rocks & sediments
1. Groundwater is stored…
in the pore spaces of rocks & sediments
…and can be compared to a hard sponge

5. Groundwater Storage… 3. The zone of saturation is the…
… depth below surface where groundwater completely fills all the pores
4. The water table is the …
… upper boundary of the zone of saturation

6. soil
Zone of aeration
Water table
Zone of saturation

7. Groundwater Storage…
5. The depth of the water table varies…
…in swampy areas- water table is at or almost at surface,
…in arid regions -water table is far beneath surface

8. Groundwater Storage… If the water table is
high, it is more likely to flood.
low, it is less likely to flood.
7. The water table fluctuates with the seasons and weather conditions because…
it depends on rain to recharge it

9. Groundwater Movement: Permeability…
1. What is permeability?
ability of a material to let water pass through
What subsurface materials are permeable?
sand, sandstone, & gravel (good for parking lots so water can infiltrate)
What subsurface materials are impermeable?
clay, silt, shale, & pavement (bad for infiltration!)
Why is clay used to line ponds & landfills?
It is impermeable (our storm drainage pond)

10. Groundwater Movement: Aquifers…
An aquifer
… underground storage area for water (permeable rock layers)
An aquiclude
… impermeable layer above or below an aquifer.

11. Groundwater Movement…
6. Confined aquifer
(Pic on next slide…) 7.
8. aquiclude

12. Groundwater Systems, Use, and Threats!
Lesson 7
Groundwater Systems, Use, and Threats! 12

13. Springs… Ground water discharges (comes out) at… Earth’s surface
These natural discharges of water are called…springs
Water may flow out of a rock when…
an aquifer meets an aquiclude at Earth’s surface (a spring!)

14. Perched Water Table  Fault- blocked Road Cuts  Limestone Regions 

15. Hot Springs… 3. The temperature of ground water is…
same as average annual temperature
4. Hot springs are…
have temperatures higher than the human body
Hot springs are so hot because… the subsurface is still hot from recent igneous activity
Picture on next slide 

16. Old Faithful Geyser Yellowstone NP
Springs and Geysers…
Old Faithful Geyser Yellowstone NP
4. Most hot springs in our country are found in the…
western states
5. A geyser is an …
explosive hot spring that erupts at regular intervals

17. Wells… 1. A well is… a hole dug to reach groundwater
2. A cone of depression is produced by…
over pumping wells
Drawdown is…
the difference b/tw the original water table level and that of a pumped well
Water is drawn! Water table goes down!
Draw down…
Wells can run dry or pull up salt
Streams can run dry
Coastal aquifers - saltwater intrusion

18. Wells…
5. Recharge is…
water from rain or runoff is added to an aquifer
Aquifers are recharged by rain.

19. http://pubs. usgs. gov/gip/gw_ruralhomeowner/gw_ruralhomeowner_new
Wells

20. Wells… The entire water table can be lowered due to…
…overuse of wells
Ground above an overused well can…
…sink!
This is called subsidence

21. Groundwater Use
8. In the USA, 23% of all freshwater is obtained from…
… aquifers (groundwater)
… Florida, Hawaii, and Nebraska depend almost entirely on groundwater.

22. Environmental Issues: Saltwater Intrusion…
… saltwater intruding into coastal wells…
… Outer Banks (on coast)
… too many wells 22

23. Threats to Our Groundwater Supply…
Overuse
Subsidence
Pollution (sewage, industrial waste, landfills, agriculture)
Chemicals (not filtered out by sediments; hard to remove from groundwater)
Salt (esp. coastal areas)
Radon (radioactive decay of uranium in rocks – esp. granite and shale)

24. Protection of Groundwater…
Identify and eliminate pollution sources.
Monitor pollution.
Pump groundwater to surface and treat it.

25. Lesson 8
Groundwater Erosion 25

26. Caves…
What is a cave?
A natural underground opening with a connection to Earth’s surface
Which acid forms caves?
Carbonic acid (H2O + CO2 in the soil)
Which rock is eroded by this acid to form a cave?
limestone

27. Karst Topography: Sinkholes…
1. What is a sinkhole?
A depression in the ground caused by the collapse of a cave

28.
Karst Topography
2. Karst topography are limestone regions that have sinkholes, sinks, and sinking streams – named for an area in Croatia.

29. Karst Topography…

30. Hard Water…
4. Hard water is water that contains high concentrations of calcium, magnesiun, or iron.
Common in limestone areas
Causes deposits of calcium bicarbonate and can clog water pipes. (p. 247)
More soap must be used

31. Erosional Stream Load…
1. All the materials that the water in a stream carries is known as the stream’s load.

32. Erosional Stream Load…
Three ways in which a stream carries its load...
Material is carried in solution after it becomes dissolved in a stream’s water.
All particles small enough to be held up by the turbulence of a stream’s moving water are carried in suspension.
Sediments that are too large or heavy to be held up by turbulent water are transported as a stream’s bed load.

33. Erosional Stream Load…
2. Carrying capacity is the ability of a stream to…
transport material