Permeability, Porosity, and Capillary

Permeability, Porosity, and Percolation

WHAT DOES POROSITY, PERMEABILITY AND PERCOLATION HAVE TO DO WITH WATER ?

Open Ended

What do Permeability, Porosity, and Percolation have to do with WATER?

Porosity

The more space there is between

particles, the higher the porosity.

• ALL THESE WORDS HAVE TO DO WITH THE WAY WATER FLOWS THROUGH SOIL.

  
  

  POROSITY= How many spaces are in between soil particles. 

  PERMEABILITY= How WELL water can flow through soil particles.

  PERCOLATION= The RATE at which water can travel through the soil particles due to gravity

Multiple Choice

How much space is between the particles refers to the soil's

• porosity

• permeability

• perculation

Multiple Choice

How much water can FLOW through the spaces refers to the soil/rock layer's

• porosity

• permeability

• percolation

Multiple Choice

The rate at which water passes through the soil/rock layer deals with which phase of the water cycle?

• infiltration

• percolation

• transpiration

Permeability is related to porosity, but is not the same.

Porosity determines the capacity of the material to hold water.

Permeability determines its ability to yield water.

For example, clay is made of tiny particles with a large amount of pore space between them. However, the pore spaces are so small that they create a resistance to flow which reduces ground water permeability.

Open Ended

What is determined by porosity?

Open Ended

What is determined by permeability?

Figure 1.

Cross section of a sand and gravel aquifer. The blue line in the diagram is the water table. The area below the water table is called the saturated zone, where all pore spaces between the particles are filled with water. In order to yield water, a well must extend below the water table into the saturated zone.

(The blue box to the right of the gravel-packed well shows the area described in Figure 2)

Open Ended

How far in to the ground should we dig in order for an aquifer to YIELD water?

Figure 2

 The section shown here is below the water table and ground water completely fills the pore spaces between the sand/clay grains. In an aquifer, the more pore space there is, (higher porosity) the more water the aquifer can hold. Permeability refers to the ability to pass water. Permeability depends on the size of the spaces between the individual grains.

Multiple Choice

The more pore space there is between the grains means the layer has

• high permeability

• high porosity

Open Ended

Before we go on to your QUIZ....ONE FINAL QUESTION...

What does permeability, porosity, and percolation have to do with WATER?

Multiple Choice

Water can exist on Earth as

• solid

• liquid

• gas

• all of the above

Multiple Choice

A soil sample with a large amount of space between the particles will have a

• High Porosity
• Low permeability rate
• High capillarity
• Low infiltration rate

Multiple Choice

A sponge has high porosity.  A rock can have it too.  Porosity is...

• the inability to hold water
• the ability to hold water
• allowing water to pass through

Multiple Choice

the measure of the storage space available in an aquifer.

• aquifer
• permeability
• porosity
• divide

Multiple Choice

The ___________________ the grain size, the faster the water will move through the soil.

• more mixed
• smaller
• larger

Multiple Choice

Porosity refers to...

• the shape of the particles
• The sorting of the particles
• % of pore space in a material
• % of cement in a material

Multiple Choice

If porosity is low then permeability is ______________.

• low
• high

Multiple Choice

What is porosity?

• The amount of space between particles

• The number of particles in a sample

• The number of openings in your face

• The ability to allow water to flow through

Multiple Choice

What is permeability?

• The amount of space between particles

• The ability to hold water

• The number of openings in your face

• The ability to allow water to flow through

Multiple Choice

If water can easily move between cracks of a rock, we can say that...

• water is permeable

• rock is permeable

• rock is impermeable

• water is impermeable

Multiple Choice

The amount of space between sediment is called ...

• permeability

• porosity

• evaporation

• condensation

Multiple Choice

If porosity is low then permeability is

• low

• high

Multiple Choice

______ is more permeable since water passes through it

• gravel

• sand

• clay

• Silt

Multiple Choice

If water can easily move between cracks of a rock, we can say that...

• water is permeable

• rock is permeable

• rock is impermeable

• water is impermeable

Multiple Choice

The measure of how easily water can flow through an aquifer. 

• porosity
• permeability
• gradient
• divide

Multiple Choice

Impermeable materials...

• have an abundance of pores.
• let water in.
• have little to no pores.

Multiple Choice

What is the relationship between soil type/particle size and permiability (as shown by the bar graph below)?

• The larger the particle size, the slower the permeability rate

• The smaller the particle size, the faster the permeability rate

• There is no relationship between particle size and permeability

• The larger the particle size, the faster the permeability rate

Multiple Choice

Which diagram represents the soil with the greatest permeability?

• Choice 1
• Choice 2
• Choice 3
• Choice 4

Multiple Choice

Water flows through permeable materials ____________________ than impermeable materials.

• slower
• faster