ENGINEERING GEOLOGY (TCE-406)

Unit - IV
Earthquakes
 Causes and Classifications
 Seismic waves, intensity and magnitude
 Seismic zones of India
 Geological Considerations
Underground Water
• Sources, Aquifers, Artesian wall
• Groundwater Provinces of India
ENGINEERING GEOLOGY (TCE-406)
UNDERGROUND WATER
Definition:
The water which gets stored in ground water reservoir through
infiltration is known as ground water.

Properties:
• Pure water as it undergoes natural filtration during percolation
through soil pores
• Least contaminated by Bacteria
• Rich in dissolved salts, minerals and gases
• Mineral extent depends upon geological formation of medium
through which it passes to join water table.
ENGINEERING GEOLOGY (TCE-406)
UNDERGROUND WATER (SOURCES)
Meteoric Water:
• Derived from precipitation of rain
and snow.
• Maximum of the precipitated water
reaches sea as surface runoff.
• Remaining water infiltrates into
ground to join water table.
• Both are meteoric water sources.

• Infiltration of water depends upon original condition of ground at

time of rain, duration of rainfall, grain size and porosity of soil and
rocks
 ENGINEERING GEOLOGY (TCE-406)
UNDERGROUND WATER (SOURCES)
Connate Water:
• Water present in rocks right
from the time of there
deposition in aqueous
environment
• Water may have been
trapped in marine sediments
during deposition and
formation of sedimentary
rocks.

• Sometimes connate water is referred to fossil water and these water

are normally saline.
 ENGINEERING GEOLOGY (TCE-406)
UNDERGROUND WATER (SOURCES)
Juvenile Water:
• Also known as magmatic
water
• Water which is found in
cracks and crevices or
porous of rocks due to
condensation of steam
emanating from magma.

• Hot water springs and geysers are derived from juvenile sources.
• Sometime meteoric water also contribute to juvenile water due to
formation of steam.
ENGINEERING GEOLOGY (TCE-406)
UNDERGROUND WATER (AQUIFERS)
Aquifers:
• An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable
rock, rock fractures or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or
silt).
• When a water-bearing rock readily transmits water to wells and
springs, it is called an aquifer.
• Wells can be drilled into the aquifers and water can be pumped out.
• Precipitation eventually adds water (recharge) into the porous rock
of the aquifer.
• Examples are porous sandstone, limestones, sand, gravels
ENGINEERING GEOLOGY (TCE-406)
UNDERGROUND WATER (AQUIFERS)

Impermeable
beds

Confined aquifer is having impermeable beds below and

Water is stored in above it whereas unconfined aquifer is having upper surface
these aquifer coinciding with water table
layers
ENGINEERING GEOLOGY (TCE-406)
UNDERGROUND WATER (AQUIFERS)
Types of aquifers:
• Confined Aquifers: These aquifers are overlain by confining layers
often made of clay.(Aquiclude) Water stored in such aquifer is having
pressure which forces it to rise to surface through wells.
• Unconfined Aquifers: Not overlain by impermeable material and thus
having atmospheric pressure.

Aquiclude and Aquitard:

• Aquitard: An aquitard is a zone within the Earth that restricts the flow of
groundwater from one aquifer to another but can store water. (Eg. Clay
shale)
• Aquiclude/ Aquifuge: An aquiclude is a completely impermeable rock
formation through which there is no possibility of storage or movement
of water. (Eg. Compact interlocked Quartzite)
ENGINEERING GEOLOGY (TCE-406)
UNDERGROUND WATER (AQUIFERS)

Aquitard have
porosity but
limited
permeability

Aquiclude/ Acquifuge have porosity but

no permeability (water will not percolate
from confined aquifer)
ENGINEERING GEOLOGY (TCE-406)
UNDERGROUND WATER (ARTESIAN WELLS)
Artesian Wells:
These are the wells that tap confined groundwater under pressure in a
confined aquifer. When well is drilled through aquiclude, water rises
up in well and flows at the surface.

How artesian well differs from normal bore well?

Artesian groundwater is the same as any other type of groundwater
the only difference is how it gets to the surface. An artesian well is
simply a well that doesn't require a pump to bring water to the
surface; this occurs when there is enough pressure in the aquifer. This
causes positive pressure.
ENGINEERING GEOLOGY (TCE-406)
UNDERGROUND WATER (ARTESIAN WELLS)
Artesian well is having
water level at saturation
level depth.

Water table well is having

water level at water table
depth and need pumping
to consume water

Flowing artesian well is

having water level above
saturation level