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Ground Water Simulation:
Pollutant Plume

Alexander Edward Gates, Richard Parker Langford, Richard Mark Hodgson, and John Joseph Driscoll, III
Initial Publication Date: May 29, 2007

Summary

Students use pollutant plumes (or pollutant slugs) to investigate subsurface water flow. A dyed slug is poured into the terrarium injection well after which samples are taken from observation wells. Collected data is contoured manually and with a computer and then analyzed. Further experimentation can be done with varied stratigraphy.


Learning Goals

  • Understand interactions between ground water and surface water.

Context for Use

This activity is appropriate for advanced high-school, introductory environmental geology, and physial geology courses.

Description and Teaching Materials

The following materials are required:
  • Terrarium or custom glass tank
  • Styrofoam spacer
  • Sediment (sand, gravel, clay)
  • Non-diluted water color paint for dye
  • Pipettes and glass sample vials
  • Graph paper
  • Contouring software such as MacGRIDZO

References and Resources

Gates, A. E., Langford, R. P., Hodgson, R. M., Driscoll, J. J., 1996, Ground-Water-Simulation Apparatus for Introductory and Advanced Courses in Environmental Geology.Journal of Geoscience Education v. 44, p. 559.