The ________ is the depth at which the soil is saturated with water.

The ________ is the depth at which the soil is saturated with water.

• A. Capillary fringe
• B. Water table
• C. Groundwater
• D. Saturation depth

Answer: (B)

The depth at which the soil pores are completely filled with water is the water table. This boundary separates the unsaturated zone above (where air and some water fill the pores) from the saturated zone below (where all pores are filled with water and groundwater resides). The capillary fringe sits just above the water table, where capillary action pulls some water into small pores but the soil isn’t fully saturated there. Groundwater refers to the water contained within the saturated zone, not the depth itself. Saturation depth isn’t a standard term for this boundary.

The depth at which the soil pores are completely filled with water is the water table. This boundary separates the unsaturated zone above (where air and some water fill the pores) from the saturated zone below (where all pores are filled with water and groundwater resides). The capillary fringe sits just above the water table, where capillary action pulls some water into small pores but the soil isn’t fully saturated there. Groundwater refers to the water contained within the saturated zone, not the depth itself. Saturation depth isn’t a standard term for this boundary.