At increasing depths water fills in more of the pore spaces in the soils, until a zone of saturation is reached.
2.
Below the water table, in the phreatic zone ( zone of saturation ), layers of permeable rock that yield groundwater are called aquifers.
3.
Theories in the creation of karst topography and karst fensters involve vadose water above the water table and deep circulating phreatic water ( water in the zone of saturation ) eroding away subsurface rock.