Dictionary

phreatic en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /fɹiˈæt.ɪk/

Etymology

From Ancient Greek stem of φρέαρ (phréar, “well, spring”).

Meanings

1. Of or pertaining to ground water; (volcanology) involving explosively rapid heating of ground water by magma.
   • “Phreatic” (or steam-blast) eruptions are driven by explosive expanding steam resulting from cold ground or surface water coming into contact with hot rock or magma. The distinguishing feature of phreatic explosions is that they only blast out fragments of preexisting solid rock from the volcanic conduit; no new magma is erupted. 2010, Jose Collazo, God Does Exist, No More Nuclear Testing and More, Xlibris, page 58:
   • 1979 [McGraw-Hill], Jacob Bear, Hydraulics of Groundwater, 2007, Dover, page 76, Both ϕ and q vary from point to point within a phreatic aquifer.
   • Gradually, infiltrating waters gather in underground rivers or phreatic conduits well integrated in the karst drainage system, which leads the underground waters to the outlets. 1992, Angel Ginés, Joaquin Ginés, “Karst Phenomena and Biospeleological Environments”, in Ana Isabel Camacho, editor, The Natural History of Biospeleology, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, page 43:
   • 1981, Peter W. Lipman, James G. Moore, Donald A. Swanson, Bulging of the North Flank Before the May 18 Eruption—Geodetic Data, Peter W. Lipman, Donal R. Mullineaux (editors), The 1980 Eruptions of Mount St. Helens, Washington, U.S. Geological Survey, page 143, These results contributed to assessments by USGS personnel in late April and early May that Mount St. Helens remained highly dangerous despite the seemingly mild small-scale phreatic eruptions that were then the most conspicuous activity.

Forms

Deriveds

phreatic eruption · phreatophyte · phreatic cycle · phreatic gas · phreatic zone · phreatic water · epiphreatic · phreatic line · phreatic surface · phreatically · nonphreatic · phreatomagmatic

Translations (17)

cmn 潜水蒸气喷发 (Eruption / explosion caused by contact between groundwater and high-temperature material) · ca freàtic (Of, or pertaining to ground water) · fr phréatique (Of, or pertaining to ground water) · de phreatische Explosion (Eruption / explosion caused by contact between groundwater and high-temperature material) · pt freático (Of, or pertaining to ground water) · ru фреатический взрыв (Eruption / explosion caused by contact between groundwater and high-temperature material) · fi pohjaveden- (Of, or pertaining to ground water) · ja 水蒸気爆発 (Eruption / explosion caused by contact between groundwater and high-temperature material) · es freático (Of, or pertaining to ground water) · fr éruption phréatique (Eruption / explosion caused by contact between groundwater and high-temperature material) · es erupción freática (Eruption / explosion caused by contact between groundwater and high-temperature material) · ko 수증기 분화 (Eruption / explosion caused by contact between groundwater and high-temperature material) · fi freaattinen (Of, or pertaining to ground water) · ro freatic (Of, or pertaining to ground water) · it freatico (Of, or pertaining to ground water) · de phreatisch (Of, or pertaining to ground water) · fi pohjavesi- (Of, or pertaining to ground water)