Question

1. Unconsolidated sediment. There is sand in a plastic bag and clay-rich glacial “till” (diamict) as core slices. Sand such as this is commonly used as an aquifer. The glacial “till” is typical of aquitards that (hopefully) protect underlying aquifers from contamination. Note that there are very subtle vertical fractures in the till. What are the hydrologic implications of that?

Answer 1

The presence of vertical fractures in the till will increase its permeability as well as its porosity. This will lead to the till behaving as an aquifer rather than an aquitard and hence yield more water.