How far underground can water infiltrate?

Answer 1

It will infiltrate until it hits bedrock.

Answer 2

Estimates of the depth of ground water are affected by a number of variations, it can range from being very close to the surface to a depth of 1200 feet.

In locations where quicksand is present, the ground water is right at the surface inside the quicksand (which is what makes it quicksand).

Answer 3

It depends where you are. In much of southern Europe, there is little or no soil cover in some places, because of deforestation and subsequent erosion. Technically this means the land is desert.

In most of northern Europe soil cover is deeper, partly because wetter weather has meant heavier soil, which is less prone to erosion. However, there are wide variations in soil depth, due to many factors. The principle one is the type of rock to be found under the soil. If it is for example chalk, soil will be very sparse and thin above, maybe only a few centimetres.

You can normally tell what type of rock is underneath soil from the types of plants that are growing on the surface. For instance, you won't find oak trees growing on chalky soil, because their roots need much deeper soil.

There is much less soil around than many people think. As a very rough guide one can reckon on about six feet of soil cover across pastoral Britain, but it is not a case of the soil suddenly hitting rock, rather a case of the soil becoming ever stonier until it finally merges into more solid rock.

Desertification (soil degeneration) is not quick - it takes place gradually over many centuries, which is why it is not normally noticed. But its effects can be profound. Most of the northern coast of Africa was wooded in Roman times, yet now it is almost completely desert. Parts of Greece and Spain have effectively become desert or near-desert, and this process continues gradually.

Degenerated soil limits the types of crops that can be grown. Olives can often be grown successfully in very sandy soil, which is one reason why they are a common crop around the Mediterranean.

Soil is not normally thought of as a "resource", but it should be, because it generates wealth directly, and because like oil it is effectively finite. However, unlike oil, the idea of a nation selling its soil in any quantity has never been seriously mooted, and would seem unlikely to gain widespread acceptance. It is an interesting legal, political and social question as to what would happen if an individual landowner tried to sell (or even donate) the soil on his land to a soil-poor country.

Answer 4

Water can infiltrate underground to various depths depending on factors like soil type, permeability, and presence of confining layers. In some cases, water can infiltrate several hundred feet underground, while in others it may only reach a shallow depth of a few feet. The process of water infiltrating underground is crucial for replenishing groundwater sources.

Answer 5

Infiltration means the water seeps underground.