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Aquitard

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

  • 104 Accesses

Synonyms

Confining layer; Leaky confining layer

Definition

An aquitard is a leaky confining bed that transmits water at a very slow rate to or from an adjacent aquifer.

Characteristics

Due to their reduced hydraulic conductivity, aquitards permit water to move through at very slow rate as compared to the adjacent aquifers. In particular they permit the vertical (upward or downward) flow of water between underlying and overlying aquifers, depending on the hydraulic gradient. Aquitards differ from aquicludes in that the latter prevent water transmission and can act as a barrier to regional groundwater flow.

Aquitards may transmit quantities of water that are significant in terms of regional groundwater flow, but from which negligible supplies of groundwater can be obtained. Examples of aquitards include fluvial, glaciofluvial, and lacustrine deposits, or poorly fractured sedimentary and crystalline rock.

Water flow through aquitards depends on the hydraulic conductivity and...

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References

  • Cushman JH, Tartakovsky DM (eds) (2017) The handbook of groundwater engineering, 3rd edn. CRC Press/Taylor and Francis Group, Boca Raton, 1092 pages

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department for the Geological Survey of Italy, ISPRA, Rome, Italy

    Maurizio Guerra

Authors
  1. Maurizio Guerra
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maurizio Guerra .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada Natural Resources Canada, Sidney, Ontario, Canada

    Peter Bobrowsky

  2. London, United Kingdom

    Brian Marker

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© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

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Guerra, M. (2018). Aquitard. In: Bobrowsky, P., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_18-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_18-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-12127-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-12127-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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