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[Haruspex_Pariah]

Crap, I thought I had aquifers pegged but recent developments have proven this false.

Now a rule of thumb I use for dealing with water is this: if the rock is damp on this level, but not on the level below you should be able to dig through it. It's worked so far, until now.

I found a clump of damp rock under my aquifer (after using a soil-plug to get through it). Because of the ore there I thought it was a real shame, and I realized that the rock in the z-level below the damp rock was dry. So I dug through it and now the level is flooding.

I'm a bit confused right now. When I first set up, I made stairways to find the precise location of the aquifer. I found water on level 99, so I assumed that to be the aquifer. I then created a plug to get through it. That worked out fine, allowing me to get the tasty rocks below. The plug is in level 99. It is damp. The downward stairway I made through the plug spans level 98 and 97. Both are dry as dust. When I dug out level 96, I hit damp rocks.

I don't get it. How is that possible when levels 98 and 97 were dry? Sorry if this is common knowledge, I just have trouble understanding this.

[Hivemind]

I'm.... Not sure I understand you.

Let's get a summary of what I'm getting out of this:

Level 99, you found assumed aquifer. Used a soil plug, dug through.
Upon finding damp stone and noticing the stone under the damp stuff was dry, you dug through, and now you face flooding.

Okay. The flooding bit is easy. The stone is damp because on one of the stone's facets, it's touching water. In this case, it seems to be directly above it. You're allowing the water above it to drain out now, though the aquifer will never empty. What I'm unsure of is whether or not aquifers can span more than one z level, It's possible you've just hit a massive subterranean lake, or a combo of the aquifer AND a secondary body of water.

[Funtimes]

Do you have a 3-4Z change in surface height nearby?


Aquifers can be 3z thick, maybe more, but I've not heard of or seen that.

[Haruspex_Pariah]

When I embarked, the aquifer indicator was one blue line. I assumed that to mean a one z-level aquifer.

I do have z-level changes on the surface but just by 1 or 2.

Sorry if it's not clear.

Overview is kind of like this.

Level 99. Damp silt, 3x3 aquifer plug (also silt) with up/down stairway in the middle. Plug is surrounded by water. Presumably this is the aquifer.
Level 98. Clay loam up/down stairway, surrounded by dry clay loam.
Level 97. Limestone up/down stairway. Surrounded by dry limestone. Three tiles south of the stairway is recently dug clay loam, which is damp.
Level 96. Now everything is damp so I can't recall clearly, but I'm sure that eight or nine tiles north east and south east of the stairwell I started hitting damp kaolinite and clay loam. I dug out damp kaolinite north east of the stair and water appeared.
Level 95. Due to the flooding above all the walls are getting damp, but it was previously dry. Didn't dig out a lot of it though so I can't confirm.

How big do aquifers get? If it helps any I embarked on an island (dwarven caravan only) but not on the coast.

[Haruspex_Pariah]

So that means I have an aquifer on levels 99 and 97 (at least), and that you can't dig under an aquifer. That's useful to know.

[xmakina]

Also be aware of multiple biomes - you can have an aquifiers at different z-levels if you have dramatically different biomes on the same embark.

[Jingles]

I believe that aquifers can pour through ceilings, since ceilings are technically the material above where you are currently digging.

This is verified. 

Unfortunately.