GC: n

CT: Groundwater is one of our most valuable resource—even though you probably never see it or even realize it is there. As you may have read, most of the void spaces in the rocks below the water table are filled with water. But rocks have different porosity and permeability characteristics, which means that water does not move around the same way in all rocks below ground.
When a water-bearing rock readily transmits water to wells and springs, it is called an aquifer. Wells can be drilled into the aquifers and water can be pumped out. Precipitation eventually adds water (recharge) into the porous rock of the aquifer. The rate of recharge is not the same for all aquifers, though, and that must be considered when pumping water from a well. Pumping too much water too fast draws down the water in the aquifer and eventually causes a well to yield less and less water and even run dry. In fact, pumping your well too fast can even cause your neighbor’s well to run dry if you both are pumping from the same aquifer..

S: Water USGS – http://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthgwaquifer.html (last access: 12 July 2014)

N: 1. aquifer (n.) 1897, coined from Latin aqui-, comb. form of aqua “water” (see aqua-) + -fer “bearing,” from ferre “to bear”.
2. By understanding the characteristics of the aquifer system, the farmer can adjust the irrigation schedule so that watering occurs in a non-continuous way, to give the aquifer time to recover, and preventing significant vertical flow in the least conductive zones.
3. Cultural Interrelation: The Edwards Aquifer (Texas) is a karst aquifer. It covers an area of approximately 4000 square miles stretching from Rio Grande River, near Del Rio, to the town of Salado in Bell County.

S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=aquifer&searchmode=none (last access: 15 September 2014). 2. Groundwater Research – http://www.groundwater.com.au/research_programs/innovative-characterisation-of-aquifers-and-aquitards (last access: 15 September 201). 3. http://www.esi.utexas.edu/outreach/caves/edwardsaquifer.php (last access: 31 March 2015).

SYN:
S:

CR: aquiclude , aquifuge , aquitard , geothermal energy, geothermics, geyser .