Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index A borehole is a deep and narrow shaft in the ground used for abstraction of fluid or gas reserves below the earths surface. If the fluid reserve is under pressure, such as oil or gas, then little extra machinery is required. For water a special type of submersible pump is used to pump water up the rising main. A well tends to be shallower and wider than a borehole. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.