What is the upper layer of an aquifer known as?

What is the upper layer of an aquifer known as?

• A. Water table
• B. Saturated zone
• C. Cap rock
• D. Recharge zone

Answer: (A)

The water table is the upper surface of groundwater in an aquifer. It marks the boundary between the saturated zone below, where all the pore spaces are filled with water, and the unsaturated (vadose) zone above, where air and water share the pores. The water table can rise or fall with rainfall, recharge, and pumping, and in an unconfined aquifer the water level in wells closely follows this surface. The saturated zone lies beneath it; cap rock is a non-porous layer that can trap groundwater above or around an aquifer; the recharge zone is where water infiltrates from the surface to replenish the aquifer.

The water table is the upper surface of groundwater in an aquifer. It marks the boundary between the saturated zone below, where all the pore spaces are filled with water, and the unsaturated (vadose) zone above, where air and water share the pores. The water table can rise or fall with rainfall, recharge, and pumping, and in an unconfined aquifer the water level in wells closely follows this surface. The saturated zone lies beneath it; cap rock is a non-porous layer that can trap groundwater above or around an aquifer; the recharge zone is where water infiltrates from the surface to replenish the aquifer.