Meet the Aquifer — Worksheet

Meet the Aquifer — Student Worksheet

Memphis Sand Aquifer, Shelby County geology. Use with /learn/meet-the-aquifer.

Aquifer Explorer

poa.ledesign.ai

Name:

Date:

TN Science Standards: 9–12.ESS2.3 · 9–12.ESS3.1 · 9–12.ESS3.4

Part 1 · Before the lesson

Where does your drinking water come from? Is it from a river, a lake, a well, or an aquifer?

Have you ever heard the term "aquifer" before? What do you think it means?

Part 2 · During the lesson

List the layers you scrolled through, from surface to deepest:

Which layer stores the drinking water for Memphis? How thick is it?

What is the "Upper Claiborne Confining Unit" (UCCU), and why does it matter?

What is a breach? How many known + suspected breaches exist in Shelby County?

The lesson says Memphis water fell as rain 2,000–3,000 years ago. How is that possible?

Part 3 · After the lesson

In your own words, explain why breaches in the UCCU are important to protect drinking water.

Name one thing that could put the Memphis Sand Aquifer at risk, and one thing that could protect it.

10.

Visit /tools/travel-time. Calculate the travel time for the Memphis Sand if the distance from recharge is 15 miles. Record your answer:

Extension

Research task: Find one news article from the last year about Memphis water, MLGW, or POA. Summarize in 3 sentences. Cite your source.

Field task: Ask someone in your household how their drinking water is treated. Compare their answer to what Memphis actually does (minimal filtration because the Memphis Sand is already clean).

Data: CAESER (University of Memphis) · USGS · TDEC · POA

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