Groundwater Hydrology MCQ with answer and solution

Concept

Aquifer, aquitard, aquiclude and aquifuge

Step-by-step solution

1. Aquifer: stores and yields water in useful quantity. 2. Aquitard: stores water but transmits it very slowly, so yields only insignificant quantities. 3. Aquiclude: stores water but cannot transmit it (e.g. clay). 4. Aquifuge: neither stores nor transmits water (e.g. solid granite).

Explanation

A formation that yields only an insignificant quantity of water, because of its low permeability, is an aquitard. Aquiclude formations hold water but do not release it, and aquifuge formations hold none.

Shortcut

Aqui-fer = Fully yields; Aqui-tard = Tardy (slow); Aqui-clude = Closed; Aqui-fuge = Fugitive (no water).

Common mistake

Confusing aquitard with aquiclude.