Porosity/permeability

Front

What is porosity?

Back

Porosity is the measure of the void spaces in a material, expressed as a percentage of the total volume. It indicates how much water or air a material can hold.

Front

What factors affect porosity?

Back

Factors affecting porosity include grain size, shape, sorting, and packing of sediments.

Front

What is permeability?

Back

Permeability is the ability of a material to allow fluids to pass through it. It is influenced by the size and connectivity of the pores.

Front

How does sorting affect porosity?

Back

Well-sorted sediments have similar grain sizes, leading to higher porosity, while poorly sorted sediments have a mix of sizes, reducing porosity.

Front

What is the relationship between grain size and permeability?

Back

Larger grain sizes generally lead to higher permeability because they create larger spaces for water to flow through.

Front

Define capillarity in the context of soil.

Back

Capillarity is the ability of soil to hold water against the force of gravity, influenced by the size of the soil particles.

Front

What is the effect of sediment shape on porosity?

Back

Rounded sediments tend to pack more efficiently, leading to lower porosity compared to angular sediments, which create more void spaces.

Front

What is the significance of precipitation in the water cycle?

Back

Precipitation is the process by which water falls from the atmosphere to the Earth's surface, replenishing groundwater and surface water.

Front

How does packing affect porosity?

Back

Loosely packed sediments have higher porosity than tightly packed sediments because there are more void spaces between the grains.

Front

What type of sediment has the greatest capillarity?

Back

Fine-grained sediments, such as clay, have the greatest capillarity due to their small pore sizes.