Why is limestone good for aquifers?

Why is limestone good for aquifers?

The cracks and joints in limestone are generally made as the rock slowly dissolves in slightly acidic water, leaving places for groundwater to flow.

Is limestone a good aquifer?

Aquifers must be both permeable and porous and include such rock types as sandstone, conglomerate, fractured limestone and unconsolidated sand and gravel. Fractured volcanic rocks such as columnar basalts also make good aquifers. However, if these rocks are highly fractured, they make good aquifers.

What rocks make the best aquifer?

Unconsolidated materials like gravel, sand, and even silt make relatively good aquifers, as do rocks like sandstone. Other rocks can be good aquifers if they are well fractured.

What material is good for aquifer?

An aquifer is defined as a body of rock or unconsolidated sediment that has sufficient permeability to allow water to flow through it. Unconsolidated materials like gravel, sand, and even silt make relatively good aquifers, as do rocks like sandstone. Other rocks can be good aquifers if they are well fractured.

Which rocks make good aquifers and why?

Sandstone: Fine-grained rocks such as sandstone make good aquifers. They can hold water like a sponge, and with their tiny pores, they are good at filtering surface pollutants.

Why are sedimentary rocks good aquifers?

Sedimentary rocks composed of well-sorted sediment tend to have high porosity because of the abundant spaces between the grains that make them up. Rocks that are permeable make good aquifers, geologic units that are able to yield significant water. Sedimentary rocks such as sandstone and limestone are good aquifers.

What is one important quality of an aquifer?

What is one important quality of an aquifer? Individual homes can access the water supply by digging wells into the aquifer. The water supply is replenished through infiltration of rain and snowmelt. All of these answers are important qualities of aquifers.

Is limestone a sedimentary rock?

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed principally of calcium carbonate (calcite) or the double carbonate of calcium and magnesium (dolomite). It is commonly composed of tiny fossils, shell fragments and other fossilized debris.

Does shale make a good aquifer?

Sandstones generally have good porosity and permeability, making a good well. Shales have poorer permeability and well yields are poorer.

Is limestone an impermeable rock?

Permeability is the ability of fluids to flow through rock. It depends on the connectivity of the pore space. Permeable rocks include sandstone and fractured igneous and metamorphic rocks and karst limestone. Impermeable rocks include shales and unfractured igneous and metamorphic rocks.

What characteristics make a good aquifer quizlet?

Aquifers are both highly permeable and saturated with water. Good aquifers include sandstone, conglomerate, well-jointed limestone, bodies of sand and gravel, and some fragmental or fractured volcanic rocks such as columnar basalt.

What qualities of a geologic material are important for that material to make a good aquifer quizlet?

Earth material containing sufficient groundwater that the water can be pumped out; highly fractured rocks and unconsolidated sands and gravels make good aquifers.

What kind of rock do you need for an aquifer?

Aquifers must be both permeable and porous and include such rock types as sandstone, conglomerate, fractured limestone and unconsolidated sand and gravel. Fractured volcanic rocks such as columnar basalts also make good aquifers.

Why do large pieces of sediment make a good aquifer?

Gravel. The large pieces of sediment create significant pore spaces that water can travel through. Often, gravel must be surrounded by a less permeable soil type, such as rich clay or impenetrable rock. When gravel cements, however, it becomes conglomerated and loses its permeability.

How are aquifers different from rivers and lakes?

Aquifers are sometimes categorized according to the type of rock or sediments of which they are composed. A common misconception about aquifers is that they are underground rivers or lakes. While groundwater can seep into or out of aquifers due to their porous nature, it cannot move fast enough to flow like a river.

How are confined and unconfined aquifers alike and different?

Confined aquifers have a layer of impenetrable rock or clay above them, while unconfined aquifers lie below a permeable layer of soil. Many different types of sediments and rocks can form aquifers, including gravel, sandstone, conglomerates, and fractured limestone.