Larry Jordan, age 10, of Winston Salem' N.C,,

What is an artesian well?

An artesian well gushes forth like a natural spring. This is because the ground water is under pressure. Ground water, of course, is rain water which has sunk down deep into the earth, There it is held in the pockets and pores of certain rocks such as sandstone. Sometimes the layer of water logged sandstone is sandwiched between layers of dense granite and shale . The water cannot go up or down through its dense prison wall. This ground water is under pressure.

When we dig down a well shaft, the ground water is under pressure from all sides. Instead of seeping into the well, it is pushed up in a gushing fountain. Such a well is named from Artesium, the Latin name for a French province where these wells are common.