The correct answer is aquifer. Explanation & Key Takeaways: • The groundwater stored between layers of hard rock below the water table is called aquifer. • An aquifer is a saturated zone beneath the water table. • It is a body of porous rock or sediment saturated with groundwater. • Groundwater enters an aquifer as precipitation seeps through the soil. • It can move through the aquifer and resurface through springs and wells. • There are two general types of aquifers: confined and unconfined. • Confined aquifers have a layer of impenetrable rock or clay above them, while unconfined aquifers lie below a permeable layer of soil. • Aquifers are typically made up of gravel, sand, sandstone, or fractured rock, like limestone. • Water can move through these materials because they have large connected spaces that make them permeable. Related Concepts: • Groundwater resources: • It is the water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand, and rocks. • It is stored in and moves slowly through the geological formation of soil, sand, and rocks called aquifers. • The total replenishable groundwater resources in the country are about 432 cubic km.