Aquifers and Springs Vocabulary

Front

Aquifer

Back

a body of permeable rock that can contain or transmit groundwater.

Front

Aquifer Ecosystems

Back

do not support aquatic ecosystems as we normally think about them; no light underground, so no photosynthesis or dissolved oxygen--these are anaerobic ecosystems.

Front

Artesian Aquifer

Back

confined aquifer containing water under pressure.

Front

Confined Aquifer

Back

saturated layers of pervious rock bounded above and below by largely impervious rock.

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Faults

Back

places where an earthquake has cracked and split open the earth, exposing the aquifer's water-bearing rock.

Front

Groundwater

Back

water found below the Earth's surface.

Front

Impermeable Rock

Back

rock that does not allow water to soak into it.

Front

Infiltration

Back

the process by which water enters the small pore spaces between particles in soil or rocks.

Front

Karst Aquifer

Back

found in limestone and marble rock.

Front

Ogallala Aquifer

Back

runs through 8 states and provides 80% of the water Texan irrigation use.