MODULE 1 ‐ Hydrologic Cycle

General Geology ‐ Groundwater

Groundwater
o To review the basic knowledge
about the Hydrologic Cycle and
its processes.
o To discuss the introduction to
groundwater topics and its
different processes
 The
Hydrologic
Cycle
Also called as
the water cycle is
simply the complete
journey that water
makes in its life, from
one place to the
other, and from one
state to the other

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 The Four Major Processes of Hydrologic cycle

Evapotranspiration
Precipitation

Run-off or
Condensation Infiltration

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The Hydrologic Cycle
Also called as the water cycle is simply the complete journey that water makes in its life, from one place to the
other, and from one state to the other.

1. Evaporation, Transpiration and

Evapotranspiration
• Evaporation- liquid phase to gas phase.
• Transpiration- the release of moisture from the
leaves of plants to the atmosphere.
• Evapotranspiration- simultaneous event of
evaporation from the soil and moisture release from
the plants
• Sublimation- solid phase to gas phase

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The Hydrologic Cycle
Also called as the water cycle is simply the complete journey that water makes in its life, from one place to the
other, and from one state to the other.
2. Condensation
• Aerosols-
particulate matters
such as dusts, soot
and salts.
• Coalescence- the
process of cloud
formation.

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The Hydrologic Cycle
Also called as the water cycle is simply the complete journey that water makes in its life, from one place to the
other, and from one state to the other.

3. Precipitation
• This is simply the various
water forms present in the
atmosphere, usually falling
as snow, rain, sleet and hail.
Sometimes, it can
represent as fog and may
not fall as rain does, but
they are all classified as
precipitation.
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The Hydrologic Cycle
Also called as the water cycle is simply the complete journey that water makes in its life, from one place to the
other, and from one state to the other.
4. Run-off and Infiltration
• Run-off- precipitation that did not
get absorbed by the soil
• Infiltration- is the process by which
precipitation or water soaks into
subsurface soils and moves into
rocks through cracks and pore
spaces.
• Percolation- movement of water
downward to replenish water tables
and aquifers.
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The Hydrologic Cycle
Also called as the water cycle is simply the complete journey that water makes in its life, from one place to the
other, and from one state to the other.
4. Run-off and Infiltration
FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT THE
AMOUNT OF RUN-OFF THAT MAY
HAPPEN:
• Topography
• Nature of Soil
• The Amount of
Precipitation

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The Hydrologic Cycle
Also called as the water cycle is simply the complete journey that water makes in its life, from one place to the
other, and from one state to the other.
4. Run-off and Infiltration
FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT THE
RATE OF INFILTRATION:
• Topography
• Nature of Soil
• The Amount of
Precipitation
• Amount of Vegetative
Cover
• Pre- Saturation Level
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The
Groundwater
 Groundwater
The origin and its occurrence:
▪ Groundwater hydrology may be
defined as the science of the
occurrence, distribution and
movement of water below the
surface of the earth.
▪ Ground water is the underground
water that occurs in the saturated
one of variable thickness and depth
below the earth’s surface.

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 Aquifers are typically made up of gravel, sand, sandstone, or
fractured rock, like limestone. Water can move through these
materials because they have large connected spaces that make
them permeable. The speed at which groundwater flows depends
on the size of the spaces in the soil or rock and how well the
spaces are connected.

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 Groundwater
The origin and its occurrence:
▪ The sources of groundwater are:
▪ Meteoric Water.
From precipitation (rain, sleet or snow)
▪ Juvenile Water.
A water that have separated from magma
from a volcanic activity and often heavily
contaminated
▪ Connate Water.
A water that have isolated from the water
cycle for millions of years sealed in between pores
of sedimentary rocks and other porous sediments
and rocks.
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 Groundwater
Zones of the Groundwater
1. Zone of Aeration, near the surface of the
earth ranging from 0 thickness on swamplands
and be several hundred feet thick on
mountainous regions.
▪ Soil void spaces contain both air and water.
▪ PELLICULAR WATER is the first moisture to
infiltrate below the ground that wets the soil
grains and adheres to them.
▪ GRAVITY WATER is the moisture that
infiltrates below at over the first films of water
but does not fill the void completely.
▪ VADOSE WATER comprises both moisture in
the zone of aeration.

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 Groundwater
Zones of the Groundwater
2. Capillary Fringe, above the Zone of
Saturation
▪ The height to which the capillary fringe
rises above the water table depends
upon the size of the voids in the ground
and the dryness and temperature of the
atmosphere.
▪ This is usually between a few
centimeters and a few meters in
thickness, but may be over 10 m thick in
very fine-grained rocks in which capillary
pressures are high.
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 Groundwater
Zones of the Groundwater
2. Capillary Fringe, above the Zone of
Saturation

Range of Capillary Soil

Fringe Type
Coarse
0.10 to 0.20 meters Sand
0.30 to 1.20 meters Fine Sand

1.30 to 7.50 meters Silt

7.50 to 23.0 meters Clay

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 Groundwater
Zones of the Groundwater
3. Zone of Saturation, located below the
zone of aeration, the soil pores are filled
with water, and this is what we call as the
groundwater
▪ A stratum that contains a substantial
amount of groundwater is called an
aquifer.
▪ Water Table or phreatic surface is the
surface between the two zones and has a
hydrostatic pressure in the groundwater
equal to atmospheric pressure.

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 Groundwater
Layer of the Groundwater

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 Properties of Soils for Groundwater Control
Behavior of water in rocks and soils

1. Porosity
• Determines how much water the
rock or soil can hold in empty
spaces within it.
• In Geotechnical Engineering,
porosity, n is expressed as the ratio
of void volume to its total volume:
𝐕𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝𝐬
𝐧=
𝐕𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥
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 Properties of Soils for Groundwater Control
Behavior of water in rocks and soils

1. Porosity
• Porosity can also be expressed as
the function of the VOID RATIO, e
as the ratio of the volume of voids
to the volume of the total solids:
𝐕𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝𝐬
𝐞=
𝐕𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐬

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 Properties of Soils for Groundwater Control
Behavior of water in rocks and soils

1. Porosity
• The porosity can be expressed in
using the void ratio as;
𝒆
𝐧=
𝟏+𝒆
• Or vice versa
𝒏
𝐞=
𝟏−𝒏

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 Properties of Soils for Groundwater Control
Behavior of water in rocks and soils

Range of Capillary Soil 1. Porosity

Fringe Type • Void Ratio is the property used to
Coarse determine the height of the capillary range.
0.10 to 0.20 meters 𝑪
Sand
Fine 𝐡=
0.30 to 1.20 meters Sand
𝒆𝑫𝟏𝟎
• h - the capillary rise in millimeters
1.30 to 7.50 meters Silt • C - constant
• D10 - effective size
7.50 to 23.0 meters Clay • e - void ratio

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 Properties of Soils for Groundwater Control
Sample Problems

1. Given a void ratio of 50.8%, determine the porosity of the soil.

2. A dense silt layer has the following properties below, find the height of the
capillary fringe in the silt.
e = 30%
Effective Diameter = 0.01 mm
Capillary Constant = 0.20 sq. cm.

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 Properties of Soils for Groundwater Control
Behavior of water in rocks and soils

2. Permeability
• How easily and rapidly the water
can flow through and out of it.
• The property of soil that permits
the passage of water.
• Described empirically by Darcy’s
Law

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 Properties of Soils for Groundwater Control
Behavior of water in rocks and soils

2. Permeability
• Darcy’s Law
• Specific Discharge, Q= Av
• A = the area of the discharging soil
• v = superficial velocity
• Where v = Ki
• K = coefficient of permeability or
= hydraulic conductivity
• i = hydraulic gradient
= Δh over ΔL
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 Properties of Soils for Groundwater Control
Behavior of water in rocks and soils

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 Properties of Soils for Groundwater Control
Behavior of water in rocks and soils

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 Properties of Soils for Groundwater Control
Behavior of water in rocks and soils

2. Permeability
▪ However, not all of this water is
available because it is so tightly
tied to the soil particles. The
amount of water that can be
extracted is known as specific
yield, defined as the percent of
total volume of water in the aquifer
that will drain freely from the
aquifer.
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 Properties of Soils for Groundwater Control
Behavior of water in rocks and soils

2. Permeability
▪ Methods of computing coefficient
of permeability.
▪ CONSTANT HEAD TEST for coarse-
grained soils.
▪ FALLING HEAD TEST for fine
grained soils.

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 Type of Aquifers
Aquifer is a body of pervious (and permeable) rocks capable of yielding groundwater.
Else, they form impervious layer called Aquicludes.

1. CONFINED AQUIFER,
is an aquifer confined between two
impermeable surfaces (aquicludes)

1. UNCONFINED AQUIFER,
is where the water table is free to
change.

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End..