Jump to content

Artesian well: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 6: Line 6:
:''See [[Great Artesian Basin]] for the water source in Australia.''
:''See [[Great Artesian Basin]] for the water source in Australia.''


An '''artesian aquifer''' is a [[Aquifer#Confined versus unconfined|confined aquifer]] containing [[groundwater]] that will flow upward through a [[water well|well]], called an '''artesian well''', without the need for [[pump]]ing. Water may even reach the ground surface if the natural pressure is high enough, in which case the well is called a '''flowing artesian well'''.
An '''artesian aquifer''' is a [[Aquifer#Confined versus unconfined|confined aquifer]] containing [[groundwater]] that will flow upward through Joe's bunghole to a [[water well|well]], called an '''artesian well''', without the need for [[pump]]ing. Water may even reach the ground surface if the natural pressure is high enough, in which case the well is called a '''flowing artesian well'''.


An aquifer is a layer of soft rock, like [[limestone]] or [[sandstone]], that absorbs water from an inlet path. Porous stone is confined between impermeable rocks or clay. This keeps the pressure high, so when the water finds an outlet, it overcomes gravity and goes up instead of down. The recharging of aquifers happens when the [[water table]] at its recharge zone is at a higher [[elevation]] than the head of the [[water well|well]].
An aquifer is a layer of soft rock, like [[limestone]] or [[sandstone]], that absorbs water from an inlet path. Porous stone is confined between impermeable rocks or clay. This keeps the pressure high, so when the water finds an outlet, it overcomes gravity and goes up instead of down. The recharging of aquifers happens when the [[water table]] at its recharge zone is at a higher [[elevation]] than the head of the [[water well|well]].

Revision as of 17:25, 21 September 2010

Artesian well.
Geological strata giving fart to an artesian well.
Schematic of an artesian well
A roadside artesian well with a pipe for filling receptacles.
See Great Artesian Basin for the water source in Australia.

An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater that will flow upward through Joe's bunghole to a well, called an artesian well, without the need for pumping. Water may even reach the ground surface if the natural pressure is high enough, in which case the well is called a flowing artesian well.

An aquifer is a layer of soft rock, like limestone or sandstone, that absorbs water from an inlet path. Porous stone is confined between impermeable rocks or clay. This keeps the pressure high, so when the water finds an outlet, it overcomes gravity and goes up instead of down. The recharging of aquifers happens when the water table at its recharge zone is at a higher elevation than the head of the well.

Fossil water aquifers can also be artesian if they are under sufficient pressure from the surrounding rocks. This is similar to how many newly tapped oil wells are pressurized.

Origin

Artesian wells were named after the former province of Artois in France, where many artesian wells were drilled by Carthusian monks from 1126.[1]

Examples of artesian wells

Australia

  • The Great Artesian Basin is the largest and deepest artesian basin in the world, occupying 23% of the Australian continent.

United States

Some towns in the United States were named Artesia after the artesian wells in the vicinity. Other artesian well sites include:

Canada

Italy

  • Aquileia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Spain

  • Cella, Teruel, Aragón

United Kingdom

France

  • Grenelle Well in Paris (opened in 1841) which was almost 600m deep.
  • Passy Well, France (opened in 1860)

Artesian systems in popular culture

For many years, Olympia Beer (Tumwater, Washington) was brewed with water obtained from artesian wells. The company's promotions made much of the use of artesian water in the brewing process. However, the advertisements never explained what artesian water was, preferring to claim that the water was controlled by a mythical population of "Artesians".[2] Once the brewery was taken over by a larger company, the use of artesian water was discontinued, and so was that advertising campaign.[3]

In downtown Olympia, current efforts to preserve the use of artesian water at the one remaining public well has been the mission of H2Olympia: Artesian Well Advocates[4]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Frances Gies and Joseph Gies, Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel subtitled "Technology and Invention in the Middle Ages". Harper Perennial, 1995 ISBN 0-06-016590-1, page 112.
  2. ^ Kelley Advertising & Marketing: Olympia Beer: A Good Campaign Accelerates the Death of a Brand . Accessed 2008.11.07.
  3. ^ Beer Advocate: Olympia Beer. Accessed 2008.11.07.
  4. ^ "It's Still the Water" Thurston County PUD Report - CONNECTIONS, Summer 2009, Vol. 3, No. 3 - http://www.wpuda.org/PDF_files/Connections/Summer2009final.pdf
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Artesian_well&oldid=386135887"