How Does Spring Water Come up from Under the Ground?

First Name: Joseph
First Letter of Last Name: D.
Age: 8
Question of comment: How does spring water come up from under the ground?

Hi, Joseph! Thanks for writing in with your question!

Water has existed since day one of creation week (Genesis 1:2). On day three, God gathered the waters together into one place and called them seas (Genesis 1:9–10).

You may have heard earth called the “Blue Planet” because ~70% of the earth’s surface is covered with water that averages over two miles deep. Not only is there water in the oceans, lakes, rivers, and ice on earth’s surface, but there is also water in the atmosphere above and, as you mentioned, in the ground below.1

Groundwater, water below the earth’s surface, makes up 98% of the freshwater available on earth. Rainfall seeps through the ground through small holes and cracks in the soil and gravel and enters fractures and weathered areas of bedrock. There, the water gets stored in natural underground reservoirs called aquifers.

There are two types of aquifers: unconfined and confined. An unconfined aquifer is one that is exposed to the earth’s surface. Confined aquifers, on the other hand, don’t have that “window” to the surface because they are completely underground. Because the water is trapped below, it is pressurized. People can dig wells to access the water, or as rain falls and the water seeps underground, the rainwater can increase the pressure on the water already in the aquifer, forcing some to the surface through natural springs.2

I just moved to Kentucky from Florida, a state with over 1,000 freshwater springs. Every day, all the springs in Florida collectively release over 10 billion gallons of water.3 That’s enough to fill over 15,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools! And that’s only some of the water under one state in the US!

During the flood of Noah’s day, “All the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights” (Genesis 7:11–12). In other words, there was a lot of water coming from above and below!

Our Blue Planet holds a lot of water, but God promised us that he would never again judge mankind’s wickedness by destroying life on earth with a global flood (Genesis 9:15). One day, we must all stand before God and give an account of our life. Still, people choose to forget that God is the Creator and there was a global flood on earth because they’re uncomfortable with the idea of the next judgment, which God tells us will be by fire (2 Peter 3:5–7).

But the good news is that all who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ will be saved (Romans 10:9)! They can look forward to spending eternity with God in a “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). Have you made the decision to follow Christ today?

Do you have a question about God’s Word or his world? Is there a topic you want to learn more about? Ask your parents to help you submit your question today. We’d love to hear from you!