Phreatic
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The term phreatic is used in geology to refer to matters relating to underground water below the water table (the word originates from the Greek phrear, phreat- meaning "well" or "spring"). "Phreatic surface" is a synonym for "water table."
The phreatic zone is the layer(s) of soil or rock below the water table in which voids are permanently saturated with groundwater, as opposed to the higher vadose zone in which the pore spaces are not completely filled with water.
Certain types of extremely violent volcanic eruptions can result from the interaction of ground water and magma; these are termed phreatic eruptions.
See also
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