What Does underground water Mean
The water is a composite substance molecules having two hydrogen atoms and an oxygen atom . Most of the surface of our planet is covered by water, an essential element for life. Subterranean , meanwhile, is that which is located under the ground .
On planet Earth , much of the water is found in aquifers that are located below the planetary surface. Aquifers are geological formations that store groundwater , a very valuable resource since it allows the supply of a high percentage of the world's population.
These aquifers receive water from rainfall . When the precipitation reaches the ground, it seeps down and reaches the underground rocks. Below the surface, groundwater is in motion by gravity and can even end up in the oceans. There is groundwater that also lodges in pores and sediments that absorb it.
In aquifers, a saturation zone can be distinguished and, above it, an aeration zone . The saturation zone is located on the impermeable layer and houses the groundwater in its pores. In the upper part of the saturation zone is the water table, whose amount of water depends on the season . Above the water table, and before the surface, the aeration zone is located.
The over - exploitation and pollution endanger aquifers and, therefore, threaten groundwater. When water is continuously withdrawn, the water table can drop below natural depth and eventually dry out. Human activity, on the other hand, can deposit pollutants in groundwater, which is generally drinkable.
It is important to know that aquifers can be of several types:
-If we take into account the pressure to which the water is subjected, we come across the confined, the semi-confined and the unconfined.
-On the other hand, if the criterion that is taken into consideration is the set of materials that shape the aquifers, there are the fissures, which are based on what are consolidated rocks, and the porous ones. The latter are those that are made up of materials such as sand or gravel, for example.
Other important data that exist and that are worth considering about groundwater are the following:
-It also responds to the name of groundwater runoff.
-It is closely related to the so-called surface water, although they are different and should not be confused. Thus, when it rains, hails or snows, a part of these precipitations come to flow over the surface of the earth, through streams or rivers, for example, and that is what responds to the name of surface water. For its part, the underground is the other part of the fallen precipitation that infiltrates the ground.
-The spaces in which the groundwater comes to the surface are called springs. These can be of different types, such as landfill; those of reef or crevasse and emergency calls.
-To proceed to capture groundwater, what is carried out are wells and boreholes.