What is an aquifer?
An aquifer is a body of rock or sediment that stores and transmits large amounts of groundwater. An aquifer typically consists of sands and gravels with interconnected pore spaces, or rocks with numerous interconnected fractures or cavities. Groundwater flows through these pore spaces and fractures, and the amount and rate of water flow is determined by the size and connectedness of the fractures and spaces. Contrary to popular belief, water rarely flows in underground streams. Ilustration is Schematic of the Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system in the southern Maryland Schematic of the Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system in the southern Maryland Geology affects the groundwater availability. West of the I-95 corridor, most of Maryland is underlain by rocks, while to the east and south, the Maryland Coastal Plain is underlain by sediments. Layers of sand and gravel form the aquifers that are the primary source of water supply in the Coastal Plain; these are separated by layers of les
Aquifer is the term given to a rock unit that will yield water in usable quantities to wells or springs. An aquifer can be visualized as a giant underground sponge which holds water and which, under certain conditions, will allow water to move through it. Depending on the type, the aquifer may contain both the saturated and unsaturated zones, or just the saturated zone. The water-bearing rocks that compose aquifers consist either of unconsolidated (soil-like) deposits or consolidated rocks. Most consolidated rocks (otherwise known as bedrock) consist of rock and mineral particles of different sizes and shapes that have been welded together by heat and pressure or chemical reaction into a rock mass. Aquifers of this type are commonly composed of one or more of the following rocks: sandstone, limestone, granite, or lava. Water flows through these rocks through fractures, gas pores, and other openings in the rock. Most unconsolidated materials consist of material derived from the disinteg
A water bearing formation of sufficient quantities and qualities which is withdrawn from the ground as a well (pumped) or spring (flowing) to supply (potable) drinking water. In Polk County, the Upper Floridian Aquifer is our primary drinking water source. Shallow aquifers may also supply drinking water to on-site private wells.
An aquifer is a body of saturated rock through which water can easily move. Aquifers must be both permeable and porous and include such rock types as sandstone, conglomerate, fractured limestone and unconsolidated sand and gravel. Fractured volcanic rocks such as columnar basalts also make good aquifers. The rubble zones between volcanic flows are generally both porous and permeable and make excellent aquifers. In order for a well to be productive, it must be drilled into an aquifer. Rocks such as granite and schist are generally poor aquifers because they have a very low porosity. However, if these rocks are highly fractured, they make good aquifers. A well is a hole drilled into the ground to penetrate an aquifer. Normally such water must be pumped to the surface. If water is pumped from a well faster than it is replenished, the water table is lowered and the well may go dry. When water is pumped from a well, the water table is generally lowered into a cone of depression at the well.
