Aquifers

An aquifer is a ground-water reservoir composed of

geologic units that are saturated with water and
sufficiently permeable to yield water in a usable quantity
to wells and springs.
Sand and gravel, deposits, sandstone, limestone, and
fractured crystalline rocks are examples of geological
units that form aquifers.

A geological unit which can store and supply significant quantities

of water.
Principal aquifers by rock type:
Unconsolidated

Sandstone
Sandstone and Carbonate

Semiconsolidated
Carbonate-rock

Volcanic
Other rocks

Two basic functions:

Two basic functions:

1. Stores reservoir.
- Water

is stored between pore spaces of sediment or

in fault, fractures or solutions cavities of rock.

2. Transmits water conduit system.

- Gw

is transmitted from areas of recharge to areas of

discharge when these void spaces are connected

Unconsolidated Aquifer
Individual particles: granular
sand, gravel, clays and silts
Water held in pore spaces between grains of sand, gravel, clays or
rock fragments

Types of rocks
Three broad groups of rocks are:
igneous rocks - formed by heat
crystallized below the surface of the earth (plutonic rocks)
erupted at the surface through volcanoes (volcanic rocks)
sedimentary rocks
deposited in layers in rivers, lakes, the sea or by wind
metamorphic rocks
transformed from sedimentary or igneous rocks under
heat and/or pressure.

Recharge
Natural

Artificial

Precipitation

Recharge wells

Melting snow

Water spread over land in

pits, furrows, ditches

Infiltration by streams and

lakes

Small dams in stream

channels to detain and
deflect water

Example Layered Aquifer System

Bedient et al., 1999.

AQUIFER TYPES
AQUIFER

UNCONFINED

CONFINED

LEAKY

SEMI-UNCONFINED

PERCHED

SEMI-CONFINED

PATCHY

Unconfined aquifer

- A permeable bed only partly filled with water and overlying a

relatively impervious layer;
- An unconfined aquifer is one in which a water table varies in
undulating form and in slope, depending on areas of recharge and
discharge, pumpage from wells, and permeability;

- Contour maps and profiles of the water table can be prepared

from elevations of water in wells that tap the aquifer to determine
the quantities of water available and their distribution and
movement.

Confined aquifers

-A completely saturated aquifer whose upper and lower boundaries

are impervious layers;
-also known as artesian or pressure aquifers;
-occur where groundwater is confined under pressure greater than
atmospheric by overlying relatively impermeable strata;
- Rises and falls of water in wells penetrating confined aquifers result
primarily from changes in pressure rather than changes in storage
volumes.

Semi-confined
or leaky aquifer
- A completely saturated aquifer that is bounded above by a semipervious layer and below by a layer that is either impervious or
semi-pervious;
- These are a common feature in alluvial valleys, plains, or former
lake basins where a permeable stratum is overlain or underlain by
a semi-pervious aquitard or semiconfining layer;
- Pumping from a well in a leaky aquifer removes water in two
ways: by horizontal flow within the aquifer and by vertical flow
through the aquitard into the aquifer.

Perched
Aquifer

A perched water table (or perched aquifer) is an aquifer that occurs

above the regional water table, in the vadose zone. This occurs when there
is an impermeable layer of rock or sediment (aquiclude) or relatively
impermeable layer (aquitard) above the main water table/aquifer but below
the surface of the land.

Types of confining beds

aquitard

An
is a partly permeable geologic formation. It transmits water at
such a slow rate that the yield is insufficient. Pumping by wells is not possible. For
example, sand lenses in a clay formation will form an aquitard.

aquiclude

An
is composed of rock or sediment that acts as a barrier to
groundwater flow. Aquicludes are made up of low porosity and low permeability
rock/sediment such as shale or clay. Aquicludes have normally good storage
capacity but low transmitting capacity.

An aquifuge is a geologic formation which doesnt have interconnected pores.

It is neither porous nor permeable. Thus, it can neither store water nor transmit it.
Examples of aquifuge are rocks like basalt, granite, etc. without fissures.

Aquifers in Malaysia
Aquifers in Alluvial Deposits
Limestone/Carbonate Rock Aquifers
Aquifers in Sedimentary and Volcanic
Rocks
Aquifer in crystalline Igneous Rocks
Aquifer in peat area

Simplified
Hydrogeological
Map of Peninsular
Malaysia

Aquifers in Alluvial Deposits

Along the costal zones of Peninsular Malaysia
Made up of Quaternary deposits consisting of gravel, sand, silt and clay
Highly productivity aquifers can be found especially in areas where the aquifer is
more than 20 m thick and consists of sand/gravel.

Yield between 30-50 m3/h per well

Quality of water is generally acceptable with some relatively high iron and
manganese contents

Limestone/Carbonate Rock Aquifers

Made up of carbonate rocks
Well yield from such aquifers can reach up to 30 m3/h per well

Quality of the groundwater is generally good but has moderate to high

TDS due to soluble bicarbonates

Aquifers in Sedimentary and Volcanic Rocks

These aquifers are represented by fractures within sandstone, quartzite,
conglomerate and volcanic rocks

Well yield up to 20 m3/h and averaging 5-15 m3/h per well

The water from these aquifers are generally of medium to good quality

Aquifers in crystalline Igneous Rocks

Fractures within crystalline rocks and associated rocks

Well within this aquifer generally give a yield of up to 10 m 3/h per well

The quality of water is generally good to excellent with low TDS