Phreatic

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Phreatic is a term used in hydrology to refer to aquifers, in speleology to refer
to cave passages, and in volcanology to refer to eruption type.
Contents [hide]
1 Hydrology
2 Speleology
3 Volcanology
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
Hydrology[edit]
The term phreatic is used in hydrology and the earth sciences to refer to matters
relating to ground water (an aquifer) below the water table (the word originates
from the Greek phrear, phreat- meaning "well" or "spring"). The term 'phreatic
surface' indicates the location where the pore water pressure is under atmospheric
conditions (i.e. the pressure head is zero). This surface normally coincides with
the water table. The slope of the phreatic surface is assumed to indicate the
direction of ground water movement in an unconfined aquifer.
The phreatic zone, below the phreatic surface where rock and soil is saturated with
water, is the counterpart of the vadose zone, or unsaturated zone, above.
Unconfined aquifers are also referred to as phreatic aquifers because their upper
boundary is provided by the phreatic surface.
Speleology[edit]
In speleogenesis, a division of speleology, 'phreatic action' forms cave passages
by dissolving the limestone in all directions,[1] as opposed to 'vadose action',
whereby a stream running in a cave passage erodes a trench in the floor.[2]
Phreatic action usually takes place when the passage is below the water table
(although it may happen if the passage is full of water and not saturated with
calcium carbonate or calcium magnesium carbonate). A cave passage formed in this
way is characteristically circular or oval in cross-section as limestone is
dissolved on all surfaces.[3]
Many cave passages are formed by a combination of phreatic followed by vadose
action. Such passages form a keyhole cross section: a round-shaped section at the
top and a rectangular trench at the bottom.
Volcanology[edit]
Main article: Phreatic eruption
See also[edit]
Phreatic zone
Vadose zone
Water content
Index: Aquifer articles
References[edit]
Jump up ^ New Mexico: Bureau of Mines & Mining Bulletin 117 (Part I: Discussion of
Deposits and Events)
Jump up ^ "Glossary of Cave-Related Terms". Upper Cumberland Grotto Home Cave.
Retrieved 13 November 2010.
Jump up ^ John A. Webb & Stanley Lithco (September 2001). Use of water chemistry to
identify flow conduits in the porous Gambier Limestone, southeast Australia (PDF).
7th Conference on Limestone Hydrology and Fissured Media. France: Universite de
Franche-Comte, Sciences & Techniques de l'Environnement. pp. 333336. ISBN 2-
905226-14-5. Retrieved 13 November 2010. Passages are usually narrow vertical
fissures, but phreatic tubes, circular or oval in cross-section, are present in
some caves...
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Underground water.

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Categories: AquifersCave geologyHydrologyGeology stubs
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This page was last edited on 8 March 2016, at 20:50.
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