Aquifer in a Cup Experiment

Ages 5+

What You’ll Need

• Clear plastic cups
• Sand, gravel or aquarium rock
• Clean soap or lotion pump
• Water

Directions

1. Start by filling a cup with sand/gravel.
2. Add water, filling the cup until half of the sand/gravel is saturated. Where did the water go?
   • The line created by the water is called the water table. The area below the water table is called the saturated zone. The unsaturated zone is above the water table.
   • The water filled the spaces between the particles of sand/gravel. This is groundwater!
3. Add more water, pretending the water is rain from a storm cloud. This recharges the groundwater supply. This is what happens when it rains, snows or water infiltrates into the ground.
4. Continue to fill the cup with water until the water covers the gravel/sand. This water is called surface water—water from rivers, lakes or oceans.
5. Using the soap or lotion pump, pump the groundwater out of the aquifer. This simulates a well and allows us to access the groundwater.

What We Learned

• Water inside the ground is called groundwater and is delivered to the tap.
• The line between the saturated zone and the unsaturated zone is called the water table.
• Some people get their water by pumping groundwater from a well.
• Rain, snow and other forms of water on the ground replenish the groundwater supply.

Water above ground is called surface water – this includes lakes, oceans and rivers.