Also known as an artesian aquifer. It is the saturated formation between low permeability layers that restrict movement of water vertically into or out of the saturated formation. Water is confined under pressure similar to water in a pipeline. Drilling a well into this type of aquifer is analogous to puncturing a pressurized pipeline. In some areas confined aquifers produce water without pumps (flowing artesian well). When pumping from confined aquifers, water levels often change rapidly over large areas. However, water levels will generally recover to normal when pumping ceases.
(also known as artesian or pressure aquifers) exist where the groundwater is bounded between layers of impermeable substances like clay or dense rock. When tapped by a well, water in confined aquifers is forced up, sometimes above the soil surface. This is how a flowing artesian well is formed.
A confined aquifer is a fully saturated aquifer whose upper and lower boundaries are impervious geologic units. Water is held under pressure and the water level in wells stands above the top of the aquifer. Completely impervious layers rarely exist in nature and hence truly confined aquifers are relatively rare.
an aquifer bounded on the top by confining materials such as rock formations
An aquifer situated above an impermeable layer such as rock or clay.
an aquifer that is confined between two confining beds, such as aquicludes or aquitards (see aquiclude and aquitard)
an aquifer with layers of generally impermeable rock above and below the aquifer (aquifers tend to run in horizontal layers below ground)
a water-bearing stratum that is confined or overlain by a rock that was the free part of the definition
an aquifer bounded above and below by impermeable beds or by beds of distinctly lower permeability than that of the aquifer itself; an aquifer containing confined ground water.
An aquifer in which ground water is confined by an overlying impermeable or semi-permeable formation. Compare unconfined aquifer, semi-confined aquifer.
A water-saturated layer of soil or rock that is bounded above and below by impermeable layers.
(artesian aquifer) an aquifer holding water under pressure by a layer above it that does not allow water to pass through. Due to pressure, the water level of a well in a confined aquifer will rise above the top of the aquifer.
An aquifer in which the water is confined under pressure beneath relatively impermeable rocks.
Aquifer that is bounded above and below by formations of significantly lower hydraulic conductivity.
A layer of water beneath the surface of the earth that is trapped below an impermeable upper layer. The confining layer is usually composed of clay.
A water-bearing subsurface stratum that is bounded above and below by formations of impermeable, or relatively impermeable soil or rock.
An aquifer that lies between two impermeable rock layers.
A formation in which the ground water is isolated from the atmosphere at the point of discharge by impermeable geologic formations. Confined ground water is generally subject to pressure greater than atmospheric.
An aquifer that is bound above and below by dense layers of rock and contains water under pressure.
an aquifer whose upper, and perhaps lower, boundary is defined by a layer of natural material that does not transmit water readily List of Glossary Terms
a fully saturated aquifer overlain by a confining layer. The potentiometric surface (hydraulic head) of the water in a confined aquifer is at an elevation that is equal to or higher than the base of the overlying confining layer. Discharging wells in a confined aquifer lower the potentiometric surface which forms a cone of depression, but the saturated media is not dewatered.
An aquifer that is trapped between impermeable layers.
Confined Aquifer (or Artesian) - An aquifer overlain by a low-permeability layer or layers, in which pressure head will force water to rise above the aquifer.
An aquifer bounded above and below by confining units of distinctly lower permeability than the aquifer media; or an aquifer containing confined groundwater. An aquifer in which groundwater is under pressure significantly greater than atmospheric and its upper limit is the bottom of a bed of distinctly lower hydraulic conductivity than that of the aquifer itself.
An aquifer in which groundwater is held under pressure by a confining layer (see also artesian well).
Aquifers that are wedged between layers of relatively impermeable materials and are consequently under pressure. Also know as an artesian aquifer.
an aquifer which is overlain by a confining bed (aquitard) of significantly lower hydraulic conductivity which retards the vertical movement of water.
a zone of subsurface water-bearing rocks that contain water under pressure due to zones above and below it having low permeability, which restrict the flow of water into and out of it. An artesian aquifer is a type of confined aquifer.
An aquifer that is bounded above and below by impermeable layers of rock or sediment.
An aquifer that is bounded above and below by confining layers. Because of the pressure created in a confined aquifer, the water level in a well drilled into a confined aquifer will rise above the top of the aquifer and, in some instances, above the land's surface.
An aquifer enclosed between impermeable formations.
A layer of water beneath the surfa...
Aquifer between two layers of relatively impermeable earth materials, such as clay or shale.
confined aquifer is contained between two strata of low permeability; in flow analyses, a confined aquifer is often assumed to be saturated throughout its depth.
An aquifer in which groundwater is confined under pressure which is significantly greater than atmospheric pressure.