How are porosity and permeability related?



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krishna-agrawala's profile pic

Posted on (Answer #2)

Porosity and permeability are two distinct physical properties of solids. Porosity refers to the extent to which tiny pores or spaces exist within the solid. Permeability refers to the ability of a mass of solid to allow or restrain the passage of of fluids, that is gases or liquids, through itself. These two qualities are closely related. The fluids are able to permeate through a solid by passing through the pores it contains, and grater the number and size of pores in a given mass of solid, easier it is for the fluids to pas through. Thus in general higher porosity in a material is likely to be accompanied by higher permeability also.

jka78's profile pic

Posted on (Answer #1)

I'm going to assume that you are asking about these terms in their relationship to science, so here is what I know:

Porosity is the amount of empty space in a rock or other earth material (like sand) - in other words, it's how much water a material can hold.

Permeability refers to how well water flows through a material - the flow is controlled by how large the pores are and how well connected the pores are in a given object.

Therefore, there these are two primary factors that limit the movement and the amount of water (or other fluids) retained  in rocks/sedimentary materials.

I hope this helps you in your quest for an answer. If you need more information, I suggest researching your question on Good luck.

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