Some precipitation sinks below the biologically active zone
If the sediments beneath the soil (biologically active zone) are porous (i.e. contain either cracks or spaces between the individual grains) then water will accumulate as groundwater. Some part of this groundwater may become rapidly recycled back to the surface of the Earth in the form of springs and wells. A further fraction may remain locked up in the sediments for thousands and even tens of thousands of years.
What happens to precipitation which sinks below the biologically active zone?