InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Water Science and Society > Student Materials > Module 6: Groundwater Hydrology > 6.2 Aquifer Processes and Dynamics > Driving Forces for Groundwater Flow
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These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
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Initial Publication Date: March 31, 2017

Driving Forces for Groundwater Flow

The driving forces that control groundwater flow are a bit more complicated than those more familiar to us for rivers and streams we can see at the land surface. As you learned in Module 3, surface water flows downhill due to gravity, and the flow direction is defined simply by the topography. The reason that water flows downhill, of course, is that gravity is a form of potential energy – and the water, or anything that falls or rolls downward – flows in response to that difference, from high to low potential energy.

In contrast to surface water, groundwater is separated from the atmosphere, and as a result it may also be under considerable pressure. As a result, the potential energy that drives groundwater movement includes both pressure and gravity. In this section you will learn about these driving forces, how we define them, and how they translate to the direction and rate of groundwater movement in the subsurface.


These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »