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Geology & Earth Sciences vocabulary · Water Cycle & Hydrology

Water table

Meaning in geology & earth sciences, with examples

nounCommon term

In geology & earth sciences, water table means: The upper surface of groundwater, below which soil and rock are fully saturated with water. Its depth rises and falls with rainfall and pumping.

In Turkish: yeraltı su seviyesi, yeraltı su tablası, taban suyu seviyesi

How it is used

Used in hydrogeology, agriculture and construction: a high water table, a falling water table, the water table drops. The zone above it is the unsaturated zone. Engineers check the water table before digging foundations or tunnels.

Example sentences

  1. The water table has dropped by 20 metres because of over-pumping.

  2. In spring, the water table is only a metre below the surface.

Common collocations

  • a high water table
  • the water table drops
  • a falling water table
  • depth to the water table
  • groundwaterWater held underground in the pores and cracks of soil, sediment and rock below the water table. It feeds wells and springs.
  • aquiferAn underground body of permeable rock or sediment that holds groundwater and lets it flow, so that it can supply wells and springs.
  • permeableAllowing water or other fluids to pass through easily. Sand, gravel and cracked limestone are permeable, while clay and shale let very little water through.
  • water cycleThe continuous movement of water between the oceans, the atmosphere and the land through evaporation, condensation, precipitation and runoff.

More terms: Water Cycle & Hydrology

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