The water cycle - technically known as the hydrological cycle - consists in the circulation of water within the Earth's hydrosphere, including changes in the physical state of water between the liquid, solid and gaseous phase.

It consists of four phases: evaporation, precipitation, course on the surface and infiltration. In its underground path, the water is purified and in contact with the rocks it is enriched with mineral salts, acquiring the chemical-physical properties that characterize them.

Let's start with evaporation: the sun warms the surface of the water and it evaporates.

Evaporation converts water from the soil and oceans into water vapor, which rises into the atmosphere.

The next phase is condensation. The water vapor cools and condenses, forming clouds.

The clouds continue to swell, until the amount of water grows so much to fall on the Earth: this is the phenomenon of precipitation. Depending on the temperature, the water falls in the form of rain, snow or hail. The water that falls on the earth forms rivers (superficial outflow) or ends up in the ground (infiltrations). This underground water feeds aquifers, lakes and rivers.

Generally the underground paths of the mineral waters reach considerable depths, even of many hundreds of meters, with dwell times of even tens of years. In its underground path, the water is purified and in contact with the rocks it is enriched with mineral salts, acquiring the chemical-physical properties that characterize them.