Aquiclude

-- Name -- Aquiclude

An impermeable body of rock or stratum of sediment that acts as a barrier to the flow of groundwater. -- Description -- A formation which, although porous and capable of absorbing water slowly, will not transmit water fast enough to furnish an appreciable supply for a well or spring. Aquicludes are characterized by very low values of "leakage" (the ratio of vertical <i>Hydraulic Conductivity </i>to thickness), so that they transmit only minor inter-aquifer flow and also have very low rates of yield from compressible storage. Therefore, they constitute boundaries of aquifer flow systems.