asked 12.6k views
4 votes
The zone of ___ sits at the top of the zone of aeration (unsaturated zone).

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

The water table sits at the top of the zone of aeration, acting as the boundary between the unsaturated and saturated zones where the pores in soil and rocks transition from being filled with air to being fully filled with water.

Step-by-step explanation:

The zone of aeration, also known as the unsaturated zone, is where the rocks and soil beneath the earth's surface have pore spaces filled mostly with air. Sitting at the top of the zone of aeration is the water table, which represents the boundary between this zone and the underlying saturated zone, where pores are completely filled with water. Given that no other specific zone name was provided in the question, it appears there may be a missing word in the original statement - likely referring to the "capillary fringe" or "water table," depending on the context. The capillary fringe is the subsurface layer where groundwater seeps up from the water table by capillary action, and it can be considered the uppermost part of the saturated zone or the lower part of the unsaturated zone. The concept of aeration is crucial here as it indicates the presence of air within the pore spaces that are not yet filled by water.

answered
User SHASHANK MADHAV
by
8.4k points
Welcome to Qamnty — a place to ask, share, and grow together. Join our community and get real answers from real people.