Water beneath the

surface
Done by: Maya Alashkar
Ground Water
Water that has travelled down
from the soil surface and
collected in the spaces
between sediments and the
cracks within rock is called
ground water. Ground water
fills in all the empty spaces
underground, in what is
called the saturated zone,
until it reaches am
impenetrable layer of rock.
 Soil
Moisture
As defined by the AMS
Glossary of Meteorology, soil
moisture is ‘the total amount
of water, including the water
vapor, in an unsaturated soil.’
Soil moisture- sometimes is
called soil water- as it
represents the water in land
surfaces that is not in rivers,
lakes, or groundwater, but
instead resides in the pores of
the soil.
 Confined Aquifers
A confined aquifer is an
aquifer below the land
surface that is saturated
with water. Layers of
impermeable material are
both above and below the
aquifer, causing it to be
under pressure so that when
the aquifer is penetrated by
a well, the water will rise
above the top of the aquifer.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
Unconfined
Aquifers
Unconfined Aquifers are where the
rock is directly open at the surface
of the ground and groundwater is
directly recharged, for example by
rainfall or snow melt. Confined
aquifers are where thick deposits
overly the aquifer and confine it
from the Earth’s surface or other
rocks.
Artesia wells

Artesian wells tap into

confined aquifers under
pressure. When drilled,
the water in these wells
may rise to the surface
without the need for
pumping due to the
natural pressure in the
aquifer.
Karst Aquifers
FORMED IN SOLUBLE ROCK SUCH AS
LIMESTONE, KARST AQUIFERS HAVE UNIQUE
FEATURES LIKE CAVES, SINKHOLES, AND
UNDERGROUND DRAINAGE SYSTEMS,
ALLOWING WATER TO MOVE THROUGH THE
ROCK MORE RAPIDLY.
Geothermal
Reservoirs
Water beneath the Earth's
surface can also exist as part
of geothermal reservoirs,
heated by the Earth's internal
heat. This water may be
present as steam or hot
water. Water beneath the
Earth's surface can also exist
as part of geothermal
reservoirs, heated by the
Earth's internal heat. This
water may be present as
steam or hot water.