phreatic zone

American  

noun

1. Geology. Also called saturated zone. the zone of Earth that is below the water table. Compare vadose-zone.

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phreatic zone Scientific  

/ frē-ăt′ĭk /

1. A subsurface zone of soil or rock in which all pores and interstices are filled with fluid. Because of the weight of the overlying groundwater, the fluid pressure in the phreatic zone is greater than the atmospheric pressure.

2. Compare vadose zone

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