the zone above the water table, in which water is suspended, is the course hero

What is the lower part of the unsaturated zone that draws water upward from the water table called?

The lower part of the unsaturated zone that draws water upward from the water table is called the capillary fringe, which is usually only a few feet thick. Perched water tables. A perched water table (Figure 1) is an accumulation of groundwater that is above the water table in the unsaturated zone. The groundwater is usually trapped ...

What is the zone where all the open spaces are filled with water?

The saturated zone. The rock and soil in which all the open spaces are filled with water is called the saturated (or saturation) zone.

What happens to the top of the saturated zone?

As the top of the saturated zone rises toward the surface, it reaches a level of equilibrium with the overlying unsaturated zone. The unsaturated zone. The unsaturated zone (or zone of aeration) is the rock and sediment in which pore spaces contain mostly air and some water and therefore are not saturated. The unsaturated zone typically starts ...

Why is there room in the water table?

The Water Table. There is “room” for air in the unsaturated zone because the water is held to the sides of the soil particles through the force of surface tension. Surface tension also causes water to rise up into the unfilled pore spaces from below through a process called capillary action.

How does the perched water table manifest?

If the perched water table intersects a sloping surface, it may be manifested by springs or seeps along the line of intersection. Migration of groundwater. The movement of groundwater is generally slow and ranges from 1 inch to a 1,000 feet per day.

Why does water flow downward?

Water flows downward through soil and bedrock because of the force of gravity. It continues in that direction until a depth of about 5 kilometers (3 miles) is reached, where porosity and permeability cease. The pore space above this level begins to fill progressively upward with groundwater.

Where does the unsaturated zone start?

The unsaturated zone typically starts at the surface and extends downward to the saturated zone. The contact between the saturated and unsaturated zones is called the water table (Figure 1 ). Figure 1.