Page 351 - Laboratory Manual in Physical Geology

A CTIVIT Y 12.1 Groundwater Inquiry

Name: ______________________________________ Course/Section: ______________________ Date: ___________
Consider the following experiments to understand how groundwater flows or is confined. Do not look up information. Just
consider the experiments and complete the worksheet as well as you can.

A. EXPERIMENT 1 : Analyze what happened when water was dropped on the rocks.

1. In general, what effect do you think layers of shale would have on groundwater movement or storage? Why?

2. In general, what effect do you think layers of sandstone would have on groundwater movement or storage? Why?

EXPERIMENT 1: What happens when a drop of water is applied to shale and sandstone?
Procedure: A drop of water was placed on four different rocks. This is what happened after 5 seconds.

Shale Sandstone Shale Sandstone

B. EXPERIMENT 2: Analyze the procedures in the image on the next page, then plot the data on the graph.

1. How is the distance of the water jet related to the height of water in the bottle? Why?

2. Some water wells flow like a water hose and are called artesian . The water actually flows up and out of the well on its
own. In non-artesian wells, the water must be pumped from the ground, because the water will not flow up and out of the
well on its own.

a. Label the part of your Experiment 2 graph where the hole in the bottle can be considered artesian, and explain your
reasoning used to label that part of the graph.

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