An independent and unconfined volume of groundwater separated from an underlying main body of groundwater by an unsaturated zone; typically occurs above discontinuous impermeable layers.
Perched groundwater is a very specific condition whereby an unsaturated zone underlies a saturated zone. This term is often erroneously used to describe shallow groundwater encountered in trial pits or foundations.
Perched groundwater often supply water to springs used as a source of water by rural communities and animals. These systems are vulnerable to the effects of drought and contamination.