dbd-75.nd
 
March 1994
 
Ground Water Youth Guide
 
 
North Dakota State University Extension Service
Fargo, ND
 
 
 
 AQUIFERS
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
When water soaks into the ground, the first layer that it goes through
is the soil.The soil has a lot of small holes(pores) in it. Some pores
are filled with air and others are filled with water. As you go
farther down in the ground, the amount of pores filled with water
increases until all pores are filled with water and no air is present.
 
dbd-75.fig1.nd.gif
Figure 1.
 
The top of the zone where you find all pores filled with water is
called the Water Table. Groundwater is the word used to describe the
zone below the water table. You may dig only a few feet down in some
places to reach the water table. In other areas you may have to dig
hundreds of feet to find the water table. Groundwater is present in
all types of materials such as cay, silt, sand and gravel. Not all of
these are a good of water. We are interested in layers of materials
that can hold a lot of groundwater and let it pass easily.
Groundwater in these types of layers is called an Aquifer. Sand and
gravel are the best because the large pores allow large amounts of
stored water to flow easily and be easily pumped to the surface
through wells.
 
Aquifers can be many miles long and many feet thick.The most useful
aquifers in North Dakota follow old river channels that were buried by
material pushed by glaciers thousands of years ago.
 
Sand and gravel deposits left by the glaciers and old rivers are the
most important aquifers in our state.Two of these are the Spiritwood
and the New Rockford aquifers. The Spiritwood Aquifer runs from the
Canadian border to the South Dakota state line. On its way from Rolla
to Forman, it is found under parts of 12 counties. The New Rockford
Aquifer runs from about Minot to New Rockford and is under six
counties.
 
Other aquifers are very small and extend only a few miles or less.The
Thompson Aquifer near Thompson, ND is only about 8 square miles in
area. 
 
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Figure 2. Major Glacial Drift Aquifers in North Dakota
 
In North Dakota, sandstone is a type of rock that is generally
found deeper in the earth than sand and gravel deposits. It also has
many holes in it, which makes it a good aquifer material.One of the
sandstone or bedrock aquifers under North Dakota is the "Dakota". It
lies under most of the state and is deep in the western part of the
state.The Fox Hills-Hell Creek Aquifer covers the western part of the
state and is found above the Dakota Aquifer. The Fort Union Aquifer is
a bedrock aquifer that covers the western half of the state, and is
found above the Fox Hills-Hell Creek Aquifer. In the southwestern
corner of the state, the bedrock Aquifers are often the only source of
groundwater, because no glacial aquifers were formed. Much of the
southwestern corner of the state has probably never been covered by a
glacier.
 
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Figure 3. Generalized Geological Section of Major Bedrock Aquifers in
North Dakota.
 
 
 
What aquifer is important to your area?
 
TXTEND
 
Funding for this publication was provided by the U.S.Department of
Agriculture Extension Service, under project numbr 89-EWQI-1-9006 and
the Nort Dakota State University Extension Service.
 
NDSU Extension service. North Dakota State University of Agriculture
and Applied science, and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.
Robert J. Christman, Interim Director, Fargo. North
Dakota. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8
and June 30, 1914. We offer our programs and facilities to all persons
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