GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -A well tapping a confined aquifer. Water in the well rises above the top of the aquifer under artesian pressure, but does not necessarily reach the land surface; a flowing artesian well is a well in which the water level is above the land surface.

Detailed explanation-2: -Borehole: the hole drilled to construct a well. Most boreholes for domestic wells in Montana are only slightly larger than the well casing. Casing: Steel or plastic pipe placed in the borehole to keep it from collapsing.

Detailed explanation-3: -An aquifer is a water-bearing geologic formation capable of yielding a usable amount of ground water to a well. In Maine there are two types of aquifers; loose soil materials (such as sand, gravel, and other sediments) and fractured bedrock.

Detailed explanation-4: -Wells are dug to reach the water under the ground.

Detailed explanation-5: -Recharge is the primary method through which water enters an aquifer. This process usually occurs in the vadose zone below plant roots and is often expressed as a flux to the water table surface. Groundwater recharge also encompasses water moving away from the water table farther into the saturated zone.