Groundwater Flow and the Water Cycle

Yes, water below your feet is moving all the time, but, no, if you have heard there are rivers flowing below ground, that is not true. Water moves underground downward and sideways, in great quantities, due to gravity and pressure. Eventually it emerges back to the land surface, into rivers, and into the oceans to keep the water cycle going. Note: This section of the Water Science School discusses the Earth's "natural" water cycle without human interference.