Abstract
Rainfall that infiltrates the soil and penetrates to the underlying strata is called groundwater. The quantity of water that can be accommodated under the surface depends on the porosity of the sub-surface strata. The water-bearing strata, called aquifers, can consist of unconsolidated materials like sands, gravels and glacial drift or consolidated material like sandstones and limestones. Limestone is relatively impervious but is soluble in water and so frequently has wide joints and solution passages that make the rock, en masse similar to a porous rock in its capacity to hold water and act as an aquifer.
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References
Cruse, K. A review of water-well drilling methods. J. Eng. Geol., 12 (1979) 63
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Further reading
Aronovici, V. S. The mechanical analysis as an index of subsoil permeability. Proc. Am. Soc. Soil Sci., 11 (1947) 137
Cedergreen, H. R. Seepage, Drainage and Flow Nets, John Wiley, New York, 1967
Childs, E. C. and Collis-George, N. The permeability of porous materials. Proc. Roy. Soc., A201 (1950) 392
Kirkham, D. Measurement of the hydraulic conductivity of soil in place. Symposium on Permeability of Soils. American Society for Testing and Materials, Special Tech. Publication 163, 1955, p. 80
Rushton, K. R. and Redshaw, S. C. Seepage and Groundwater Flow, Wiley, 1979
Todd, D. K. Ground Water Hydrology, John Wiley, New York, 2nd edition, 1980
Wenzel, L. K. Methods for determining permeability of water bearing materials. U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 887, Washington D.C., 1942
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© 1990 E. M. Wilson
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Wilson, E.M. (1990). Groundwater. In: Engineering Hydrology. Red Globe Press, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-20610-0_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-20610-0_5
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