How does groundwater move underground?

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.

What movements occur with groundwater?

Ground water and surface water: A single resource Water moves underground downward and sideways, in great quantities, due to gravity and pressure. Eventually it emerges back to the land surface, into rivers, and into the oceans to keep the water cycle going.

What types of materials promote better groundwater movement?

What kind of rocks/sediments make a good aquifer? (Rocks/Sediments that are very permeable make a good aquifer. This is because they allow the quick flow of water, which means that you can get a good flow from the well as well as quick recharge from precipitation, assuming that the aquifer is unconfined.

How do you calculate groundwater movement?

The equation for calculating ground water velocity is: V= KI/n. In this formula V stands for “groundwater velocity,” K equals the “horizontal hydraulic conductivity,” I is the “horizontal hydraulic gradient,” and n is the “effective porosity.”

How does water become groundwater?

Groundwater begins as rain or snow that falls to the ground. This is called precipitation. Only a small portion of this precipitation will become groundwater. The remaining precipitation seeps, or percolates into the earth to become “groundwater.” These actions make up the Hydrologic Cycle.

What controls the rate of movement of groundwater?

The porosity and permeability of the soil controls the rate of movement of groundwater.

What factors affect groundwater storage and movement?

Topography and geology are the dominant factors controlling groundwater flow. Storativity describes the property of an aquifer to store water. Hydraulic conductivity is measured by performing a pumping test, i.e. by pumping one well and observing the changes in hydraulic head in neighboring wells.

What factors influence groundwater?

Natural factors, such as topographic position and the mineral composition of underlying geology, act to produce basic physical and geochemical conditions in groundwater that are reflected in physical properties, such as pH, temperature, specific conductance, and alkalinity, and in chemical concentrations of dissolved …

What causes groundwater movement?

Groundwater is transported through aquifers because of two main reasons: gravity and pressure. In unconfined aquifers, which we concentrate on because they are more likely to be contaminated, water always flows from high points to low points because of gravity.

What is a groundwater flow system?

Local groundwater flow systems have recharge and discharge areas within a few kilometres of one another. They tend to occur within individual subcatchments in areas of higher relief, such as foothills to ranges. These systems exhibit dryland salinity within a decade or so of clearing.