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Capillary Fringe |
  
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Capillary Fringe |
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Definition The area just above the water table in which water is held in the soil by surface tension. Synonym Capillary Zone Description The zone in which water naturally occurs in contact with, but rising above, the water table; caused by the tensional forces in the pore spaces of soil, sediment and rock material. In fine grained material capillary rise amounts to 2–3 m, but measures only a couple of centimeters in coarser grained material. Why is the capillary fringe important? It is the zone between the water table and the unsaturated zone. Most groundwater recharge pass through this zone.
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