artesian water

views updated May 08 2018

artesian water Groundwater that is confined in an aquifer, but which may overflow on to the land surface via artificial boreholes or, sometimes, natural springs, because of the high hydraulic head that may be developed in a confined aquifer. Artesian conditions are common when the aquifer has a synclinal form. The London Basin, England, provided artesian water during the nineteenth century from a chalk aquifer sealed by clays. The term is derived from the Artois region of north-western France.

artesian water

views updated May 17 2018

artesian water Groundwater that is confined in an aquifer, but which may overflow on to the land surface via artificial boreholes or, sometimes, natural springs, because of the high hydraulic head that may be developed in a confined aquifer. Artesian conditions are common when the aquifer has a synclinal form. The London Basin, England, provided artesian water during the nineteenth century from a chalk aquifer sealed by clays. The term is derived from the Artois region of north-western France.

artesian water

views updated May 23 2018

artesian water Ground water that originally is confined in an aquifer and that reaches the land surface owing to the high hydraulic pressure that may be developed in a confined aquifer when this has a synclinal form. The London Basin, England, provided artesian water during the nineteenth century from a chalk aquifer sealed by clays. Many desert oases are created by the emergence of artesian water in springs or pools.

artesian well

views updated May 08 2018

artesian well (overflowing well) A well that flows at the surface without pumping, because it is sunk into a confined aquifer whose hydraulic head (sometimes called the potentiometric or piezometric head) lies above ground level. See AQUIFER; and ARTESIAN WATER.

artesian well

views updated May 29 2018

artesian well(overflowing well) A well that flows at the surface without pumping, because it is sunk into a confined aquifer whose hydraulic head (sometimes called the potentiometric or piezometric head) lies above ground level. See artesian water.

Artesian Well

views updated May 29 2018

Artesian well

A well that discharges water held in a confined aquifer . Artesian wells are usually thought of as wells whose water is free flowing at the land surface. However, there are many other natural systems that can result in such wells. The classic concept of artesian flow involves a basin with a water-intake area above the level of groundwater discharge . These systems can include stabilized sand dunes ; fractured zones along bedrock faults; horizontally layered rock formations; and the intermixing of permeable and impermeable materials along glacial margins.

artesian well

views updated Jun 11 2018

artesian well Well from which water is forced out naturally under pressure. Artesian wells are bored where water in a layer of porous rock is sandwiched between two layers of impervious rock. The water-filled layer is called an aquifer. Water flows up to the surface because distant parts of the aquifer are higher than the well-head.